It is always a struggle for us to find the interns we need to run Victory Academy every year. The resident assistant position is a vital position, but it is temporary. Most interns only stay on as an RA for one school year and as a counselor for the following summer.  Some choose to stay longer, but it is our desire to see them go back and finish their degrees, jump into a full-time ministry position, or serve God at a local church. This puts us in a constant need for interns. We are looking at some options to expand our capacity of eight students to a capacity of twelve. To do this, we will need to have five interns contracted and ready to serve at the beginning of the year. To make this a reality, we have made strides in the organization of our internship program and how we present it to potential interns. This work is far from finished, but we are pleased with the progress. Some of the strides involve new brochures, web pages, Facebook ads, videos, and carefully crafted informational emails. We are excited to get connected with those whom God is preparing to serve in this unique way. We are looking for a special kind of guy. Our internship program is very difficult at times and spiritually taxing. We like to say it is “life concentrate” – bottling five years of experience into one! However, the eternal rewards of a wayward teen making godly decisions far outweigh any difficulty an intern may face.

​We are now offering a couple of internship tracks with various concentrations. We want to do everything we can to satisfy any internship or time-restraint requirement that our potential interns may have. It is our hope that the new structuring will allow for more men to serve at Victory. We appreciate your prayers in this endeavor. If you would like to learn more, visit our internship page at www.vafb.org/internship.

“Volunteers make the non-profit world go ‘round,” and they make great things possible here at Victory.  Every capital improvement project is made possible, in part, by volunteers.  We are grateful to Bay City Baptist of Green Bay, Wausau Bible Church, and several individual volunteers that have donated their time and skill set to specific projects on our campus over the course of this past year.  Often volunteers come in and do things that we would have to hire out.  They save us money and time. Often, the work is done better than what we would have received from hired help, because it is done with heart.
 
We have opportunities right now for general construction, accounting, computer networking, electrical, logging/land clearing, and vehicle maintenance.  If you have a particular skill set and you would like God to use you here at Victory, please see our website for specific project details or give us a call!
 
There are also projects that don’t require a skilled hand. From raking leaves and moving wood to cleaning and organizing, there is always something to be done at Victory Family Ministries! Whether you want to personally come and handle a smaller task or you want to organize a work group to tackle a larger one, we always welcome your involvement. Contact our office for more information!
 
Perhaps you just don’t have time to devote to an on-site project, but still would like to help in some way. Capital improvements not only require a work force, but they also depend on the generous donations of God’s people. If you would like to partner with us by donating to a specific project, you can mail a check or donate online. Be sure to note the specific project on the memo line.
 
Thank you for being a part of God’s work in the lives of these boys and their families.

We have had the privilege to host a couple of special programs this past month. It is always a blessing to have people come and run special program elements for us! It frees up our staff to be able to attend important conferences and meetings.
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Mark Hawkins, from Hands on Deck, showed up with his handmade trunk of specialty wood-working tools earlier this month. Mark is passionate about wood, but his calling is to use that passion to minister to young people. His non-profit, Hands on Deck, is doing some great things in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Last year, he taught our students how to build a skin-on canoe. We have some great projects in mind for this year, but this month was the opportunity to learn some basic wood-working skills. Mark taught them to use carving knives to create their very own set of chopsticks! Although it was a small project, the guys enjoyed being out of regular classes and learning a specific skill. Mark did whet their appetite for what they will be working with later by starting a rustic, wooden bench. He will be coming back periodically this school year and continue teaching our students how to work with wood.
 
We also had seven students from Maranatha Baptist University come for a special weekend of ministry this past weekend. They organized a special night of activities for the students on Friday and worked with them on Saturday to rake the leaves on campus. What a job! We are so thankful for all that they poured into the program. We had the opportunity to treat them to some of Mark Massey’s deliciously grilled hamburgers and speak to them about our internship program that we offer at Victory Family Ministries. The interns are such a vital part of what we do. Opportunities to have men who are passionate about ministry and serving young men on-site is something we don’t take for granted. It is awesome to watch them see the ministry first-hand. It’s an experience that we just can’t bring with us when we go to different colleges to present the internship program. You can pray that God will work in these men and others with whom we are in contact. Whether they serve with us or go elsewhere, we want to see them going strong for the Lord! If you are interested in learning more about our internship, see our internship page at www.vafb.org/internship.
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We’re so very thankful for the time God gave us at Kenu Lake. We are blessed to have the use of their beautiful land and facilities. We began the skill training in several of our core activities, such as canoeing and mountain biking. The guys also got to enjoy catching and eating some Northern Pike! Not only were the camping and activities enjoyable, but we had the opportunity to devote a whole week to the most important facet of our relationship with God — faith. Faith is more than knowing God’s Truth. Faith is more than a prayer. Faith is more than a feeling. Faith is the most seminal part our existence because it gives life to our actions, words, desires, and feelings. We do what we do and say what we say and feel what we feel because we want what we want. We want what we want because we believe what we believe about God, His Word, and ourselves. Studying this reality and showing the guys the magnificent truths we all should believe is one of the highlights of the year.
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