Testimonials

My girls Ally and Abby, came to camp last week for their first time. They have tried to come for several years but we just couldn’t work it in with their other activities. Well, they will definitely be back next year! They had an unbelievable experience and, as you know, it can be challenging to excite/please them at their age (12-13)!… Thanks again for offering a fabulous, Christian based, common sense approach, action packed week of out of this world experiences for our children.

 

Dana N. on her daughters’ Victory Ranch Experience

As a self-described helicopter mother, I was scared of sending my son to camp. Victory Ranch has completely erased any and all of my fears. Being a Christ-centered, action-packed, kid heaven, Victory Ranch enabled my son to grow in confidence and character (he actually extended his stay a week!). My husband and I are thankful to have this wonderful place to send our boys to grow and mature while having the time of their lives in a loving setting.

 

Jennifer and Joel H. reflecting their son’s Victory Ranch Experience

Victory Ranch has been such a huge part of our family for almost a decade. Our son and our daughter were 7 and 8-year Victory Ranch campers, respectively, and they would both wholeheartedly agree that VR was a defining experience in their lives and their faith journeys. They would tell you that they loved every minute of each week they spent with Dennis, Anne, and the fabulous staff and counselors at Victory Ranch. As parents, we never had to “sell” attending Victory Ranch to our children – instead, each year as we pulled out of the VR gates to head home, our children were begging us to come back the next week. Dennis, Anne, and their staff have done such an incredible job each year making Victory Ranch a warm, safe and fun place for our children to meet new friends, try new things and grow spiritually. The truest testament to the VR Experience is one we share with so many other families—our experience and love for Victory Ranch is clearly not an anomaly, because year-after-year, our children excitedly reconnected with their best camp friends from the previous years, who also continued to come back year each year.  We are so thankful to Dennis, Anne and so many other on the Victory Ranch staff who were instrumental in providing this opportunity for our children and for helping them grow in their faith and in so many other ways.

Nicole and Steele C. and their Victory Ranch Experience

Victory Ranch is absolutely the best part of our kids’ summers every year. All 3 of our girls have been going to VR for 6-8 years and it’s the highlight of their summer! They have a blast, renew their faith in Christ and meet lifelong friends. The amazing counselors are sharing their love of Christ though their actions while loving, caring, and having FUN with our children. The kid’s feel very connected not only to their counselor’s but also to Anne & Dennis Smith.  The staff is always very accommodating and the facilities are top notch. Our children are truly blessed to have been exposed to the Victory Ranch experience!  I highly recommend Victory Ranch. Our girls always come home happy, confident, and full of songs and stories each and every year.

Stacey and Thomas H. and their Experience with Victory Ranch

Victory Ranch has been and continues to be the perfect venue for our Opening Retreat. The Opening Retreat is a highlight for many of the NEXUS participants and Victory Ranch plays a great role in making that impression. The staff and accommodations offer a positive environment. NEXUS continues to cultivate and duplicate principle-centered leaders for our Memphis community and Victory Ranch help us accomplish that goal each year.

 

Heather Hunt—NEXUS

I first learned about Victory Ranch as a participant in the Leadership Collierville class in the fall of 2005 when we traveled there for the day to take part in exercises both physical and mental that helped us get to know each other, challenge ourselves and just have fun. Since that time I have become the director of the Leadership Collierville program, and I think the highlight of each year is bringing both our adult and youth classes to Victory Ranch as part of their opening retreat. The property is kept up beautifully and the instructors are great in the way they make you feel comfortable but challenged at the same time. I would recommend Victory Ranch to any group that is trying to instill teamwork and just all around fun.

 

Terry Dean—Leadership Collierville

I have been involved in student ministry for over 25 years and can honestly say there are very few camping/retreat centers in this country as attentive to the needs of a group or as willing to accommodate a group as the staff at Victory Ranch. They are as concerned about the comfort and safety of our group as they are about making sure our students have a great time. My experience has been that no request is too great and no detail too small for the staff. Our week-end camps at Victory Ranch have become a highlight of our program, talked about and looked forward to by our high school students and middle school students alike. There is a pursuit of excellence that is evident the minute you pull through the gates. This is a special place.

 

Bret Spiegelman—Director of Student/College Ministries, Hope Presbyterian Church

Each September, the 8th graders of Briarcrest Christian Middle School enjoy a class retreat at Victory Ranch. These students look forward to this trip throughout their middle school years and are never disappointed with their experience. The facility is beautiful and offers a wide range of activities for the students. A full-day of recreation is always capped off with a western hoe-down and a great night’s rest in the beautiful bunk houses. The staff is not only well-trained and capable but friendly and Christ-like in all of their encounters with our students. We leave Victory Ranch better than we were when we arrived, and we always look forward to our next adventure at “the ranch.” God is truly blessing this ministry, for all that is done is done to His glory.

 

Sharon Watson—Principal, Briarcrest Christian Middle School

The past ten summers that I have spent at Victory Ranch have made such an amazing impact on me. As a camper, I learned from my counselors and the staff how to live boldly for Christ and have fun in a way that glorifies Him. Now I get the joy of showing Jesus to campers and watching the unfathomable impact that He has on their lives while I get to climb rock walls and learn karate from skit character Bob Vance. This and the friendships that I have made over the years are why Victory Ranch holds a special place in my heart.

 

Sallie Sherman—from Monroe, LA; current Student at Texas A&M University–Has served as a lifeguard, wrangler, and counselor. Sallie will be entering her 11th summer at VR. Sallie was a camper for 6 years and is entering her 5th year as a Summer Camp employee. Her joyful and loving heart cause everyone among the counselors, staff, and campers to love being around her as she continues to show Christ’s love.

Having the chance to work at Victory Ranch this past summer was one of the best opportunities of my life. I cannot say enough of this amazing camp, which is run by the most caring and intentional staff I have ever been a part of. This past summer, I built so many new friendships and became so much closer to the Lord, all while hanging out with some of the best campers around. Victory Ranch is truly an incredible summer experience, and I’m already looking forward to the upcoming summer!

 

Parker Sherrill—Memphis. TN and Student at University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Parker recently finished his first summer at VR, and we hope that he will continue to make a lasting presence with us and on his campers. He greats each camper, each day with an amazing, loving heart that is aimed at helping campers have the best experience possible at VR while also pointing them towards Christ.

Every year, the highlight of my summer is working at Victory Ranch. I cherish the opportunity to take a step back from everything going on in my life and take time to focus on the things that truly matter. I have loved being able to invest in the lives of each of my campers by developing a friendship with them and seeking to help them nurture their relationship with Christ. I also have loved seeing the ones that come back year after year and having the opportunity to invest in their lives long term. Victory Ranch has also helped me grow in my faith in so many ways by giving me an escape, helping me focus on my personal relationship with Christ, and allowing me to develop friendships with campers, counselors, staff, and directors who continue to be an influence in my life. I would not trade my summers out at Victory Ranch for the world.

 

Mary Holliman Lanphere—Tupelo, MS and now college graduate—Having served as a counselor, lifeguard, retreat worker, and assistant director, Mary Holliman’s impression at Victory Ranch will never be forgotten even as she moves on into her career. She’s one of our famous all-star counselors who campers continuously looked forward to seeing year after year.

Every year, the highlight of my summer is working at Victory Ranch. I cherish the opportunity to take a step back from everything going on in my life and take time to focus on the things that truly matter. I have loved being able to invest in the lives of each of my campers by developing a friendship with them and seeking to help them nurture their relationship with Christ. I also have loved seeing the ones that come back year after year and having the opportunity to invest in their lives long term. Victory Ranch has also helped me grow in my faith in so many ways by giving me an escape, helping me focus on my personal relationship with Christ, and allowing me to develop friendships with campers, counselors, staff, and directors who continue to be an influence in my life. I would not trade my summers out at Victory Ranch for the world.

 

Ashylnn Thetford—Memphis, TN, Senior at Evangelical Christian School, rising Freshman at Mississippi State—Ashlynn started working with us as a lifeguard. Having served extremely well in that position the past two summers, she looks forward to counseling and guarding next summer. An always smiling face with a positive attitude, Ashlynn is always a joy to be around. We can’t wait to have her back at camp next summer where she continues to love and serve so well!

Victory Ranch is a place that has really meant a lot to me for the past few years, for several reasons. I think the first thing that makes VR special to me is that it is a place in which I can find rest within a loving Christian community. It is so awesome to get to step away from the busyness of the world for eight weeks of my summer to spend time growing with the other staff members and sharing the love of Christ with the kids who come to camp. Also, I’ve particularly loved being surrounded by both older and younger Christians during my time at VR. The older staff members have always been so supportive and encouraging to me, and it’s awesome to have the chance to turn around and share that same spirit of encouragement to build up the younger staff members. Finally, working as a camp counselor is just a very special job. It is so fun to get to hang out with the kids that come to VR, to watch them come out of their shells and make friends as the week goes on, to learn from them during devotional time what Jesus meant by becoming childlike in our faith, and to be challenged to lean on God through the spiritual and physical demands of the job. It is for these reasons and many more that I’m very thankful to be a part of what God is doing at Victory Ranch.

 

Nicholas Manley—Memphis, TN and current Student at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Nicholas has served in many areas across the Ranch both during Summer Camp and also during Retreat Season. He attended camp in the early years both as a camper and a retreat attendee. After graduating high school, Nicholas became a very consistent and involved employee. He hopes to return next year to fill his role as an assistant Director and as the infamous German doctor, Dr. Laser, who built and crafted our laser tag course and guns with his genius brain and his bare hands.