Episode 29: When a Mission Shatters Your Testimony: Where Do You Go From Here?

Mission experiences are supposed to strengthen faith—but for many, they do the exact opposite. In this powerful and vulnerable episode of Midlife with Brooke, Brooke Oniki sits down with life coach Erin Woodruff, whose mission experience left her testimony shaken, her trust damaged, and her spiritual foundation in pieces.

Erin bravely shares what it was like to return home feeling traumatized, confused, and spiritually lost—and what the long road of rebuilding has looked like over the past decade. This conversation is raw, honest, and deeply validating for anyone whose missionary experience (their own or their child’s) didn’t look the way they were taught it “should.”

You’ll hear:

• Why Erin never wanted to serve a mission, and what ultimately led her to go
• The painful parts of missionary life no one talks about
• How a mission can fracture faith—and why that doesn’t mean something “went wrong”
• What it looks like to completely rebuild a testimony from the ground up
• How to separate the gospel, the church, and church culture
• How Erin found peace again through Christ, awareness, and honesty
• What parents can do to support their children through hard missions or faith struggles
• Why “success” needs a new definition for missionaries and for mothers

This episode is a breath of compassion and truth for midlife mothers who are trying to understand their adult children’s spiritual journeys—or even their own.

Reflection Prompts:

• What assumptions or expectations about missionary work might I need to soften or release?
• How can I create emotional safety for conversations with my missionary or returned missionary?
• What does success look like in God’s eyes—not the culture’s?
• Where is Christ inviting me to rebuild something from the ground up?

The Holiday Bundle 2025 Is LIVE!

Brooke created 18 short videos (2–8 minutes each) to help you not just plan the holidays—but feel better during them. The bundle is divided into three powerful sections:

Planning: gifting, routines, and letting go of expectations

Thought Work: managing emotions, letting others own theirs, working through disappointment

Nervous System Support: tools to stay grounded when emotions run high

There’s no class to attend, no time pressure—just simple, calming guidance you can listen to anytime, anywhere.

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Bonus for Listeners

Two private bonus podcast episodes for women in midlife:

• Menopause Explained
• Enjoying Sex in Midlife

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