After speaking with Johannes Wolfaardt, I came to realize that he's experienced nearly every abuse and difficulty. And in his darkest times. Jesus was still there protecting him. Johannes brings a message of hope and overcoming remarkable adversity. Listen to the full podcast season 1 episode 7 with Johannes and Marit Welker And if you need hope, you can turn to Jesus. And Then come to MaritWelker.com to work on rebuilding your identity after an adult child cuts you off.

Not every story of survival ends in survival. Some end in resurrection. Johannes C. Wolfaardt lives closer to the second category.

Johannes brings to this episode a stark story of the darkest sides of humanity and then triumph in the end through Jesus Christ. His estrangement is based on the worst kinds of abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Yet. He reunited with both parents in love and without blame.

He was two years old the day his mother walked away from the man that had nearly killed her. She saved her own life but his anger found a new target. Johannes was already being moved between foster placements and orphanages by age 7. He grew up without a sense of what love is. As an adult he reached for substances to dull the pain, lost his housing, and many times tried to end his life.

His mother came back into his story and he forgave her.

In 2021, a moment that almost killed him became the door he had been refusing to walk through. Flat on his back at the bottom, he met God for the first time in a way that was real, personal, and undeniable. He saw what he had not been able to see before. God had been walking beside him the entire time, even in the rooms where no one else stood.

His memoir Struggling Stains has been turned into a play and a documentary based on his life is now in development.

The message we are sharing today is that if your child is out of reach today, hear this carefully. Distance from you is not distance from God. The Father who walked with Johannes through every dark room is already standing in the rooms you cannot enter. Turn your child over to God. Keep turning him over. The work continues whether you can see it or not.

https://strugglingstains.co.za/shop/struggling-stains-the-online-book/ for residents of South Africa. (Working on getting international payment set up)

And for identity repair, go to MaritWelker.com. A five-day-challenge helps repair your identity as a daughter of God, increasing your strength, peace, and joy with meaningful progress.

We like to think of number lines as lines. But do we ever think of timelines as lines? If a ruler was used to represent a life, how long would the eternity before and the eternity after be? God's promises extend to His disciples. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

- Revelation 21:4.

Will you reunite in this life or the next? (Hint: most do in this life. 21% may have to wait until mental illness, incorrect bias, or addiction leaves their bodies.) But I promise that God knows the end from the beginning! And he loves you and likes you so much!

The pain of having your kids leave home and go off to their own lives and menopause pales in comparison to the power of grief of losing a child to estrangement. As Christian Moms who are estranged, we can learn from Mickey's story of devastating grief transformed into hope. She shares her story and the lessons she learned along the way and how God was with her in this entire experience. She is not yet reconciled, but she is living in joy with purpose and blessing others with her mother-love and wisdom. To learn more, about Mickey go to https://crushingstrongholds.com/. And for Marit, the estranged Christian Moms coach, go to MaritWelker.com.

Host Marit Welker interviews women affected by their adult children's rejection. She is an estrangement coach specializing in helping Christian moms find their way to understand, prepare to reunite, and thrive during the wait and beyond. Learn more at MaritWelker.com

Today she meets with Mickey Woolery to talk about the way to find peace in Christ after estrangement. shares her heartfelt journey through estrangement from her son, the lessons learned, and how faith in God provided comfort and guidance. This episode offers hope, biblical insights, and practical advice for parents facing similar pain.

Menopause and an empty nest begin and when kids leave home we think it's hard. But if your child cuts you off, you come to know profound pain. Mickey talks us through how she found perspective and strength to overcome that and trust in God.

Topics we discussed:
Estrangement from children and how that relates to faith

The weight of grief when a child rejects you, and learning to live again
The role of God's promises and scripture in healing
The influence of external factors that can sometimes drive our children away, like new partners and communities
The importance of surrendering to God's will and timing
Trust that God has them and that God's promises are true.

Find Mickey and her podcast at https://crushingstrongholds.com/

or at: 

https://www.instagram.com/mickeywoolery/

or 

https://www.facebook.com/mickey.woolery

Intro music, created by Axeltree, is "Drops of Snow Melting" (After Holst, Abroad as I was Walking) It's altered by lengthening the segment's final note. CC 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

As a Christian Mom, what is my role when my adult child cuts me off (goes no-contact)? It is to wait. To tell them your door is always open. To express your love. And to be quiet and let them go and wait. This is a waiting stage where there's nothing you can do to change your child. So what do you do? You change yourself. And in doing so you find joy, peace, and strength through a deeper walk with Jesus.

MaritWelker.com has a free five-day challenge for a limited time. A Biblically based and neuroscience-informed program to help you restore your peace and strengthen your heart.

As an estranged parent, what am I supposed to do with my child when they are talking of leaving or have come back once? The answer is found in Luke 15 in the parable of the Prodigal Son.

In this episode, we hear guest, Peter Young's story of marrying into a cult unknowingly and the nightmare that followed. Peter tells of the impact this has on his marriage, his children, and on the ongoing relationship with his oldest child. He tells us in this episode what could have prevented some of these problems, and how God was with Him in getting out. His faith is inspiring and it's an moving story.



In this episode I also talk about my course and Five-day challenge. I invite you to join me for this limited time opportunity. Five-days of daily one-on-one calls to work toward repairing your self-esteem and help you return to your identity as a daughter of God, not only in your mind, but in your heart. Find me at http://MaritWelker.com along with free downloads and information about my 90 course and coaching.

Marit Welker welcomes guest Stephanie Jordan as they discuss the difficulties in parent-child estrangement and grief. We also talk about healthy boundaries versus fake ones, and patterns in the influences that are causing children to reject their parents. We talk about what Christ teaches and how to find joy and stay connected, even when it's hard. Enjoy the extra time in this engaging and energetic conversation!

In this episode of Still Here. for estranged mothers, I sit down with Stephanie Sherwood, author, businesswoman, Christian, and (formerly) estranged mother. We dig into what happens when our children become adults and the roles shift beneath us, and letting go so they can live their own lives. We talk about the Prodigal Son's father, what he did, what he didn't do, and what we can learn from both.

But the thread running through this whole conversation is identity. Anchoring ourselves in Christ when everything else feels shaken. Because when your child cuts you off, it doesn't just break your heart. It breaks open who you believe you are.

I know because I've lived both sides. I rejected my parent. Then my child cut me off. Both relationships were restored. That's why I built a framework to help Christian mothers find their footing, rebuild from the inside out, and prepare for the reunion they're praying for.

No one else teaching in this space has been on both sides, understanding you and your child, and speaking directly to Christian mothers.

Right now, I'm offering a free five-day challenge: five one-on-one calls with me, 30 minutes each, focused on repairing and rebuilding your identity. If you're ready to stop surviving and start moving forward, go to MaritWelker.com to sign up.

You can find Stephanie and her book The Legacy Reset here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Stephanie-Sherwood/author/B0FWNDLW5C?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1775974068&sr=1-1&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=0f42f0c4-9e9d-4692-8de2-66f7dac5f405

And learn about and connect to her business page, The Tapestry Network, here: https://thetapestrynetwork.com/