When a Mission Shatters Your Testimony, Part 2: The Healing Process

In Part 2 of this powerful series on missionary trauma and faith reconstruction, Brooke Oniki welcomes Erin Woodruff back to the podcast for a deeper, more intimate conversation about what healing actually looks like when a mission fractures your testimony, identity, or trust in God.

In this episode, Erin opens up about the parts of her story that needed more space—what made her mission uniquely difficult, what healing has required over the last 10 years, and why rebuilding a testimony from the ground up is both sacred and deeply personal.

Brooke and Erin talk honestly about language barriers, constant companionship, conflict, exact obedience culture, loss, shame, and how trauma can stay embedded long after a missionary returns home. Erin shares the tools, choices, and spiritual nudges that helped her finally begin to let go, including the surprising healing that came when she revisited her mission years later.

For midlife women supporting returned missionaries—or processing their own missionary experiences—this conversation offers compassion, clarity, and tremendous hope.

You’ll hear:

• The unseen struggles many missionaries quietly carry
• What made Erin’s mission deeply traumatic—and why she didn’t recognize it at first
• How exact obedience culture can fuel shame, anxiety, and spiritual distortion
• Why rebuilding a testimony requires honesty before anything else
• What obedience has come to mean for Erin now
• How ancestors and spiritual mentors became anchors for her faith
• The surprising healing that happened when she revisited her mission
• How coaching tools helped her untangle trauma from identity and rebuild trust in God
• Guidance for parents supporting children with difficult or traumatic missions

Reflection Prompts:

• What emotions or memories from my mission (or my child’s mission) still need compassion and space?
• What might healing look like for me—physically, emotionally, spiritually?
• Where am I ready to let go of old expectations, guilt, or shame?
• How do I want to relate to God today?

✨ 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 supportive sections:

Planning: gift giving, routines, and letting go of past expectations

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

Nervous System Support: tools to help your body and mind stay regulated when emotions run high

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

Get the Holiday Bundle here:

https://subscribepage.io/HolidayBundle

Stay Connected With Brooke

Receive weekly emotional wellness tools, stories, and podcast extras:

Join the Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/f7o6w8

Learn More

Coaching, resources, and offerings for midlife women:

www.brookeoniki.com

Bonus for Listeners

Enjoy two private podcast episodes created just for women in midlife:

• Menopause Explained
• Enjoying Sex in Midlife

Access them here: https://www.subscribepage.com/summitadd

Want personalized support?

Schedule a free one-on-one coaching session with Brooke:

Book Your Call: https://calendly.com/brookeoniki/life-coaching-session-with-brooke-oniki