The “Well-Being” Ministry

“Don’t you see, you planned evil against me, but God used those same plans for my good.” (Gen. 50:20)

I read somewhere that some events in our lives forever divide our life into a before and after. Divorce was that divider for me. First as little girl, when my parents divorced, and then my own divorce after 18 years of marriage.

The ministry was born from the heartache of divorce, but also a renewed passion and purpose to stand up to the forces that rip our families apart. As Narrative Therapist my path crossed with many women that shared their stories of hope and redemption after divorce – feeling called by God to speak life into the devastation of divorce.

The ministry is built on God’s promise to use what was meant for harm, redeeming our pain and utilizing it for good. The ministry aims to echo God’s voice to stretch beyond this generation, breaking generational cycles of divorce that have the power to restore and bring life back into marriage and family for our children and grandchildren.

Restoring what the enemy meant for harm is only possible if we manage as women to walk the journey from slavery in Egypt (enslaved and held hostage by divorce, rejection, financial struggles, cycles of addiction, trauma etc.) to the promised land (a place where transformation and rebirth becomes the catalyst for post traumatic growth).

Trauma, toxic relationships and divorce can indeed change the trajectory of our lives; yet one can choose how to respond in ways that make us stronger. This growing ministry aims to create a space for women to connect, support one another, and has the potential for every woman to become part of a ministry where their journey is filled with purpose.

Meet the Team

Corlia

While hiking the cattle trails on our family farm, trying my best to kick dust in the eyes of grief after losing my family to divorce, vision was birthed. I felt God was showing me the dams, streams and fountains, calling out to me to come to the water, dip your heart in the stream of life, let the pain and the sorrow be washed away, in the waves of His mercy.

Ps 23 resounded of the quiet dirt paths and green pastures… The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul…
In stillness I found God’s presence. In stillness I found healing, vision, security and belonging.

My vision is to take part in leading women back into that sacred quiet where they can hear His voice saying: “Be still and know that I am God; I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” In that stillness, we hear His voice restore identity, dignity, and destiny. I call women into stillness before God – into a sacred place where His presence speaks louder than the fear of rejection or abandonment, shame or lies.

I call women who are walking through the grief of losing what they treasured the most, carrying along a backpack filled with guilt and if-only’s, to come drink from the well.

Marina

The story of how God healed my heart.

In 2023 we signed the divorce papers and I cried so much that I couldnt drive home. I felt Jesus weeping with me. But thats not the point or the end of my story. God had other plans. He set me up to rebuild the most beautiful new life.

He showed me this beautiful picture of a heart that had huge holes in it with blood pouring out and Him using His Hand to place beautiful jewels inside each of these holes. He truly did give me a new heart! At the end of the vision the heart shines with a golden colour and jewels all over.

Now we are starting to build this amazing new ministry to help other women – and I just love God’s sense of humor as Im doing this with the person who was our marriage counsellor (Francette). I thought when I met her, the purpose of her in my life would be to help save our marriage. Meanwhile it was so we could help other women on similar paths experience Gods healing!

Im still on the journey and there is no pretty bow around my life, but I know that without this hurt I would most certainly have missed out on an intimate relationship with the Real Love of my life – Jesus.

I can honestly say that I know that God works together all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28)

Candice

The hard days became my training ground.

My name is Candice Thompson, and I am a Grade R teacher.

It’s a beautiful kind of chaos, a lifestyle filled with laughter, learning, and countless unexpected moments. Not every moment is beautiful, but every moment is filled with significance.

I am deeply grateful for my tiny teachers. They stretch my patience, teach me to look deeper, love more fully, and embrace each moment as it comes. They remind me to laugh often, forgive easily, take risks, and discover creativity and adventure in even the smallest things.

Although our days can be chaotic and messy, this little classroom is our safe place. A place filled with a million little miracles, wrapped in love each and every day.

And at the end of every day, I am reminded that the greatest lessons are often taught by the smallest hearts.

Life can be a series of unexpected happenings, and I think we are all searching for something, though that search may look different for each of us. Deep down, we are searching to be loved, to belong, to be chosen, and to be seen. Yet life happens. We experience disappointments, heartbreak, loss, and seasons that leave us questioning who we are.

That is why it is so important to find our identity in Christ. The world screams loudly, demanding our attention, while truth often whispers softly. We need to fasten God’s truth to our hearts and remember what He says about us that we are loved with an everlasting love, chosen, known, and treasured by Him.

There were days for me when the hurt felt unbearable, when loneliness ached deeply, and the lies in my mind seemed louder than the truth. Yet those hard days became my training ground. They taught me endurance, strengthened my faith, and showed me what it means to live a life marked by love. My searching journey took many turns. Along the way, I had to unlearn old patterns, past hurts, and ways of thinking that no longer served the person God was calling me to become.

I began to stand on His promises that the joy of the Lord is my strength; that He works all things together for my good; that He who began a good work in me will carry it to completion; and that greater is He who lives in me than he who is in the world. As I chose to anchor myself in His truth, I discovered that His Word truly does set us free.

My search for love did not always lead me to the right places, but it led me to many valuable lessons. As I learned to trust God and set fear aside, I found my way not to long ago to a place that felt and became like home, a place that covers you with love, helps you experience a peace that surpasses understanding, and gently points you back to the arms of the Father. A place where people serve, love deeply, and reflect the heart of Christ and invites you to drink from the living water.

There may be seasons when you feel unnamed, hidden beneath shame, or stuck in a dry and lonely pit. Yet even there, God invites you to taste and see that He is good. He offers living water to thirsty souls. He renames your pain, brings purpose from your struggles, and exchanges beauty for ashes.

Along the journey, you begin collecting small pieces of grace. You walk dusty roads surrounded by unexpected beauty. You learn to notice how the wildflowers grow and how faithfully God cares for even the smallest details. Slowly, you realize that there is purpose in your pain and meaning in your story.

One of the greatest lessons we can learn is to look deeper and love well. Every person carries a story we cannot see. Behind every smile may be a battle, behind every silence a prayer, and behind every wound an opportunity for grace. When we choose to look deeper, we begin to see people through the eyes of compassion rather than judgment. When we choose to love well, we create space for healing, belonging, and hope.

So let us be brave enough to put down our burdens, courageous enough to trust God with our stories, and intentional enough to love one another well. May we become women who carry grace, extend kindness, choose understanding, and reflect the love we have first received from Him.

Because in the end, our greatest calling is not simply to be loved, it is to love. And when we do, we become living reflections of the One who loved us first.

Francette

My life changed in an instant, as divorce unexpectedly entered my life. The trauma, chaos and disruption convinced me that I would never get through this. But, I did.

Reflecting on my journey I am grateful, even for the pain… as it was in this storm that I found the true miracle of Jesus in my life. The

testimony I hold in my heart became a deep longing to find purpose in my story.

“The Well” ministry was born from a lifelong relationship with divorce. Firstly, my own parents’ divorce when I was 9 years old, and later my own divorce. Divorce created devastation in my life from one generation to the next. My wish for this ministry is to stand up against the forces that fuel and feed the divorce pandemic – and with the grace of God I believe this cycle can be broken, and that what was meant to harm, can indeed become a powerful Well of hope.

It is at this well that Jesus has been inviting women for generations to come and drink. Tasting His living Water quenched my deep thirst for healing. Once tasted, I wanted to tell the world!

“The Well”-being Retreats

The retreats provide a space for women to reflect, journal and walk in nature. It’s an easy walk on the beautiful Acorn Guest Farm (www.acornguestfarm.co.za).

The retreat uses nature and the symbolic walk from Egypt to the Promised Land to journey together, spending time at various sites that allow time for practical activities that include the careful art of identifying the well-known detours, that so easily derail our journeys.

Listening to His voice and journaling break open a road to His Kingdom promises as every woman discovers her King. Women are invited to a Date night with the King, bathing in His radiance.

The retreat aims to provide a map that help women to journey with intention, wisdom, hope, and ultimately bring them to a place where they find meaning in their pain.

The Well built on the farm represents the final stop on the journey…

It is at the well where Jesus meets us all – bringing to light that which we shamefully hide. It is at the well where grace sets you free and hope calls your name.

John 4:1-29