Grafted Life Ministries

Kristen Yates

Cincinnati, OH, United States

I am a spiritual director, missional formation coach, Anglican priest, and church planter who takes delight in coming alongside others who...

About Me

I am a spiritual director, missional formation coach, Anglican priest, and church planter who takes delight in coming alongside others who are seeking to deepen their relationship with God and to be Jesus’ hands and feet in the world. I love creating hospitable, beautiful, and contemplative spaces for people to be with the Lord and to dwell in His love; and I enjoy encouraging others to grow in knowledge of God and His redemptive plans, to grow in self-knowledge and the Fruit of the Spirit, and to live an increasingly balanced life in Christ. I also enjoy writing and creating spiritual formation resources at www.rhythmsoftheway.org.

When I am not doing ministry, I enjoy painting in watercolor and digital mediums, photography, singing, being out in nature, gardening, enjoying other cultures, traveling, and being with family.

Contact

Website: www.rhythmsoftheway.org

Email:

Prefer Contact By: Email

Available For

In-person Direction: YES

Tele-Direction: YES

Group Direction: NO

Retreat Leading: NO

Specialties

Works with...

Women

Pastors and Ministry Leaders

Mary Yerkes

Sanford NC, USA, NC, United States

As a seasoned spiritual director and leadership mentor, I walk alongside women who desire a deeper walk with God and an...

About Me

As a seasoned spiritual director and leadership mentor, I walk alongside women who desire a deeper walk with God and an understanding of His movement in their lives, especially during times of hardship to trial. My practice is trauma-informed and focuses on attending to the movement of the Holy Spirit, listening prayer, inner healing, understanding your story, spiritual practices/disciplines, writing to heal, and the biblical integration of body, soul, and spirit.

My strengths include discernment, listening deeply to you and to the Holy Spirit, redemptive storytelling, insightfulness, asking questions that break through the clutter and get to the heart, and meaning making. My directees come from all walks of life, but most women I work with fall into one or more of these categories: seasoned and/or emerging leaders, church staff or missionaries, writers and creatives, and women who feel marginalized.

As someone who has suffered deeply, I am comfortable creating a safe place for women who live with chronic pain and illness, who are rebuilding their lives after divorce, and who feel isolated or marginalized by life circumstances and challenges.

My training is through Sustainable Faith's School of Spiritual Direction.

Contact

Phone: 703-347-1790

Website: www.maryyerkes.com

Email:

Prefer Contact By: Email or phone

Available For

In-person Direction: YES

Tele-Direction: YES

Group Direction: NO

Retreat Leading: YES

Languages Spoken

English

Specialties

Works with...

women

leaders

creatives

writers

aging

divorced

chronically ill

disabled

Expertise in...

women's spirituality

leadership

creativity

writing

spiritual disciplines

inner healing

trauma-informed

divorce

Alice Young

Waldorf, MD, United States

Onward and upward – that’s what I told myself and anyone else who would listen! I love the call from C.S...

About Me

Onward and upward – that’s what I told myself and anyone else who would listen! I love the call from C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle to come into the Kingdom – further up and further in. I’ve found in Spiritual Direction that God’s Voice also calls me to go deeper, get quiet, and enjoy the Lord’s presence with me in the present moment. It’s an increased awareness of God’s presence in my life…and that’s an invitation I can’t refuse!
After serving as a Vineyard pastor for nineteen years in a small, culturally diverse congregation southeast of Washington D.C., Spiritual Direction became the way further up and in. I received my training in Spiritual Direction from HCM (Healing Care Ministries, Certificate in Spiritual Formation & the Art of Spiritual Direction, 2015) and in Formational Prayer (Ashland Theological Seminary, Certificate in Formational Prayer, 2014). As a Spiritual Director, I also use Formational Prayer as a means to help people experience God’s healing touch in a personal way. Formational Prayer is a ministry of the Holy Spirit, moving through a Christian caregiver to bring the healing presence of Jesus Christ to the place of pain and brokenness. Formational Prayer helps remove emotional impediments in our awareness of and response to God’s presence in our lives. I also facilitate Healing Care small groups. I have been an Associate with HCM SFSD since 2017 and supervised students in training. Currently I am also focusing on Developmental Spiritual Direction (The Whole Peace, 2021), and additional Supervision training (Sustainable Faith 2022). I am available for individual and group Spiritual Direction, DSD, retreats, and 1-1 or peer group Supervision.
Born and raised in Canada I have Dutch roots and lived overseas. I have resided in Maryland for the last couple of decades where my husband and I have raised our three children and a myriad of pets, including baby ducks, a snake, and several dogs and cats. When I'm not walking my giant dog Theo, you can find me reading, writing, enjoying a cup of tea or some dark chocolate with friends, and visiting my children and grandchildren. One of the nicest things someone has said about me to someone else was, “Do you ever get together with Alice and NOT talk about God??” God in all things - what else is there??

Contact

Phone: 301.653.1417 (cell)

Email:

Prefer Contact By: email

Available For

In-person Direction: YES

Tele-Direction: YES

Group Direction: YES

Retreat Leading: YES

Languages Spoken

English

Brandy Young

Cambridge, IA, United States

Have you ever spent a season of your life wondering – seeking – desiring more – or in need of something...

About Me

Have you ever spent a season of your life wondering – seeking – desiring more – or in need of something different? We often find ourselves on these seeking journeys on the heels of heartbreak or disappointment – when life, or a relationship didn’t turn out the way we imagined. At least that’s how it was for me – maybe you too?

I grew up on an Illinois farm, imagining my life would be charmingly ordinary, but when the ink dried on my divorce papers at 27, I wondered if there was more…I needed there to be more. And so began my own seeking journey.

Ultimately, I met my Savior, who changed the trajectory. After coming to faith in Christ, I followed a path in and out of the corporate world, local ministries, and overseas missions – serving in urban youth ministry, international agricultural development, and the local church.

I'm a co-founder of a Christian non-profit dedicated to agricultural education and extension in Uganda, and a lifelong learner, recently completing my Master of Arts in Christian Leadership and certificate in Spiritual Direction through Sioux Falls Seminary in 2021.

The practice of spiritual direction blew into my own life gently, offering a practice that felt light and unhurried, instead of another thing to strive toward or achieve. The practice gives space to let me simply be, wrestle, question, and deepen - often reframing how I see God's presence in my life.

That is my hope for you. Whether you are struggling to discern the voice of God, wrestling with questions of faith and doubt, experiencing the process of deconstruction or reconstruction of your faith, or simply need to be reminded that God is good – spiritual direction is a safe space to explore these questions and shifts.

After a longer-than-desired single season, I eventually remarried in 2014 and became a stepmom to 3 teenagers, who are now young adults. Through the years, I dealt with the grief of infertility and the surprising joys of a blended family. Now in my 40’s, I look back and realize, that on the heels of that heartbreak in my 20's, I couldn’t have possibly imagined the life He had for me.

The words of Isaiah 61 have long captivated my heart: proclaiming the good news, binding up the broken hearted, and setting the captives free - which ultimately drew me into the fight against sex trafficking. Outside of providing direction, I serve as the Executive Director for Wings of Refuge, a Christ-centered organization that provides opportunities for healing and restoration to survivors of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation.

I believe there is a God-destined path you’re meant to walk…a path filled with purpose, grace, and freedom. A path that gracefully accounts for roadblocks and detours. It’s your path to walk – but you don’t have to walk alone. We all need companions for the journey and travel guides to help point us in the right direction. I’m grateful for the guides I met along the way who pointed me toward a deeper relationship with Christ and His purposes for my life. If you’ve found your way here – maybe I’ll serve as a guide in some way for you, as others have served for me.

Contact

Website: https://www.brandyyoung.com/spiritual-direction.html

Email:

Prefer Contact By: Email, Website

Available For

In-person Direction: YES

Tele-Direction: YES

Group Direction: YES

Retreat Leading: YES

Languages Spoken

English

Specialties

Works with...

Women

Young Adults

College

Students

Missionaries

Ministry Leaders

Expertise in...

Lectio Divina

Women

Cross-cultural

Blended Family

Students

College

Discernment

Retreats

Yoga

Missions

Ellen Zaeske

Fargo, ,

Sometimes its difficult to know what God is up to in one's life. I enjoy working with people discerning their call...

About Me

Sometimes its difficult to know what God is up to in one's life. I enjoy working with people discerning their call, discerning God's activity in their life. I enjoy creating a sacred space for soul work to happen. I recently have retired as a Christian counselor to become more focused as a Spiritual Director. I facilitate the Ignatian Retreat and am a facilitator trainer. I am a Program Coordinator (Fargo) for Christos Center for Spiritual Formation, SD training.

Contact

Phone: 701-232-6224 (office: Valley Christian Counseling Center)

Email:

Prefer Contact By: email

Available For

In-person Direction: YES

Tele-Direction: YES

Group Direction: YES

Retreat Leading: YES

Languages Spoken

English

Specialties

Works with...

pastors or church leaders

elderly

Christian seekers

Expertise in...

Ignatian

Lectio Divina

women's spirituality

trauma or grief

Rama Ziegenhals

Essex, MA, United States

Rama is the Founder and Director of PAX Center for Christian Spiritual Formation. She received her Masters in Spiritual Formation and...

About Me

Rama is the Founder and Director of PAX Center for Christian Spiritual Formation. She received her Masters in Spiritual Formation and Leadership from Spring Arbor University, and her certificate in spiritual direction from the Listen Course. She offers spiritual direction in both Essex and Cambridge, MA. She values spiritual direction as a place of discovery and awareness of God’s abiding and transforming love. In her younger days, she spent 13 years as a corporate banker with a passion for integrating faith and work.

Rama is married with two adult daughters. She enjoys her friends, hiking, and spending time with her family in the mountains of New Hampshire. Rama is currently taking on new directees on a limited basis.

Contact

Phone: (978) 471-9561

Website: www.paxcenter.org

Email:

Prefer Contact By: email

Available For

In-person Direction: YES

Tele-Direction: YES

Group Direction: YES

Retreat Leading: NO

Languages Spoken

English

Specialties

Works with...

Pastors and church leaders

millennials & college students

academics

and multiethnic churches.

Expertise in...

Ignatian spirituality and The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius

Bebedictine spirituality and rule of Life

dark night and discernment

and cross cultural spiritual direction.

Ruth Zschoche

Colorado Springs, CO, United States

I came to Spiritual Direction at a time in my life when God had emptied me of myself and was in...

About Me

I came to Spiritual Direction at a time in my life when God had emptied me of myself and was in the process of transforming me into the woman He had created me to be. At the time I discovered Spiritual Direction, I was working in church ministry with young mothers. Spiritual Direction was offered to staff and I took advantage of this opportunity, even though I didn’t fully understand what Spiritual Direction was. I decided to meet with a Spiritual Director to learn more about it. Those first sessions that I thought were about learning about Spiritual Direction were actually filled with space where God began to draw me closer to Him and His love for me. I grew up in a Christian home, went to a Christian college and had spent countless hours in church, Bible study, both as a participant and a leader, and thought I was a pretty good Christian. But God began to show me that there was so much more that He had for me.

During this time I was encouraged by my family to pursue education in Spiritual Direction. I received my certificate in Spiritual Direction from the C. John Weborg Center for Spiritual Direction at North Park Theological Seminary.

I am amazed at how God continues to work in my life through receiving and providing Spiritual Direction. I love working with young women. As a Third Culture Adult I have experience in understanding the dynamic of growing up in a different culture and then returning to my passport country. I have experienced infertility and pregnancy loss and have sat with many women who have grieved their own losses.

I have struggled with the need to do for God and not just be with Him. I vividly remember one of my first Spiritual Direction sessions. We had talked about how I saw God and how I thought He saw me. As we sat in silence I had a vision of God saying to me. “Ruth, I love you. You don’t have to DO anything for me. Just BE with me and let me love you.”

As a Spiritual Director, I want to offer to others, the same space that has been given to me, to sit with, listen for God’s voice, and feel His loving Presence surrounding and transforming each of us.

I am a Certified Enneagram Coach and use the Enneagram as a tool for self-reflection in Spiritual Direction.

I am married to Dale, have a son and daughter-in-love and 2 adorable granddaughters. I enjoy running, biking, swimming, reading, baking and spending time with friends.

Contact

Phone: 719-373-5067 (cell)

Email:

Prefer Contact By: Email

Available For

In-person Direction: YES

Tele-Direction: YES

Group Direction: YES

Retreat Leading: YES

Languages Spoken

English

Specialties

Works with...

Church leaders

spouses of church staff

missionaries

women

those who are seeking a closer relationship with God

Expertise in...

Women's Spirituality

Pregnancy and Infant Loss

Infertility

Enneagram

Third Culture Kids/Adults

Special Needs.

List of ESDA Spiritual Directors

Kristen Yates

About Me

Contact

Available For

Specialties

Mary Yerkes

About Me

Contact

Available For

Languages Spoken

Specialties

Alice Young

About Me

Contact

Available For

Languages Spoken

Brandy Young

About Me

Contact

Available For

Languages Spoken

Specialties

Ellen Zaeske

About Me

Contact

Available For

Languages Spoken

Specialties

Rama Ziegenhals

About Me

Contact

Available For

Languages Spoken

Specialties

Ruth Zschoche

About Me

Contact

Available For

Languages Spoken

Specialties

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