Kerryn and Peter Christensen        
New Zealand

Kerryn and Peter arrived in Chiang Mai in early 2010. They believe that God has invited them to walk alongside others who are involved in cross-cultural work so that they can thrive wherever they are. They know the joys, frustrations, and stresses of a life in transition.  Living in China for 3 ½ years was a formative time for them. Along the way they saw good things happen, made mistakes, and experienced life’s ups and downs. Through it all they have come to know God’s grace, love and hope more deeply. When they lived in China, Peter and Kerryn saw the need for more people to care for cross-cultural workers like themselves and those around them. They had both experienced the benefit of receiving spiritual direction and felt God drawing them into offering this ministry to others.  

Spiritual direction is a pastoral ministry in which one person helps another to:

• Honestly share with God their feelings, doubts and questions;
• Discover God’s care in the midst of difficulties;
• Become aware of the sacred within the ordinary events of life;
• Dive deeper into prayer and draw closer to God in everyday life;
• Become more like Christ and experience the fruits of the Spirit;
• Move from a preoccupation with their sinfulness to a grace-full life of love and service.

(These points are from ‘Spiritual Direction – a practical introduction’ by Sue Pickering, Canterbury Press, 2008.)

Educational Background:

Kerryn and Peter have trained in Spiritual Direction, through Spiritual Growth Ministries in New Zealand. Kerryn completed this course in 2008 and Peter will complete it at the end of 2010. In their spare time, both Kerryn and Peter have been taking papers towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Theology (through Carey Baptist College in Auckland, New Zealand).  
Kerryn’s original training was in Speech and Language Therapy. She enjoyed working with children and adults who had communication difficulties.
Peter has worked as a Water Resources Engineer for a number of years and while in Thailand, Peter still does a few hours of engineering consulting each week. His Master’s thesis researched water quality among Tibetan nomads in China. He has also completed papers in the field of development studies and dabbled in professional photography.   

Specialized Training:

• Personality types (Myers-Briggs and Enneagram)
• Leading quiet days and retreats
• Understanding dreams
• CernySmith cross-cultural assessment
• Interactive drawing therapy (Kerryn)

Services and Seminars offered through The Well:

• Individual spiritual direction (we suggest regular monthly meetings – or more frequently if you are just visiting Chiang Mai for a short period of time)
• Leading quiet days / days of prayer for groups
• Leading ‘retreats in daily life’ for individuals, couples, or groups (over a week or a month)
• De-briefing

Family background:
Peter and Kerryn both knew God from an early age, and are glad to come from supportive Christian families. Three years of Peter’s childhood were spent in Papua New Guinea as a MK. They met at university, and have now been married for 13 years. Besides living in China, they have also lived in England and Scotland (for a year and a half), and have enjoyed travelling around Europe, Asia, New Zealand and Australia.    
They have two daughters (3 and 5 years), who were both born during the time they lived in China. Peter and Kerryn know the busyness that comes with having young children and working overseas, and keep exploring ways to connect with God in the midst of family and work life.

Heartbeat:
Kerryn:
“I desire to offer people a space where they can hear and know God’s presence and direction more clearly. I have known the benefit of a spiritual direction relationship in ordinary, everyday life as well as in times of pain, and wish to offer this to others. I like to create a safe atmosphere where people are free to talk about any aspect of life and relationship with God. I also enjoy using creativity as a way to meet with God where people find this helpful.”

Peter:
“I love to be able to sit with people in the presence of God and listen to the story of their lives. I feel privileged as we discern together where God is most active in that story and what God is calling them toward. I see Spiritual Direction as helping people to learn to live the unique and authentic spirituality God has given each of us. I long to see people living the whole of their lives in the experience of God’s love and grace – to know that God is on our side and always cheering for us, and that God is a giver of second chances and new beginnings…”