Testimonials
Personal Testimonies
Ricardo Monteiro
Church Pastor
It’s been 4 years since I went through the worst time of my life. Today I came across some pics and remembered the day I was feeling so broken and so worried about my wife, my kids and our future. I will never forget how you walked with me in the cold night, listening to my brokenness. What a wild and painful journey it has been since that time. So many tears, so much pain, so many hours of “heart surgery” and humbling moments of opening up to close friends. The list goes on. I am not sure if I’ve said enough how much I appreciate you and the input you gave in helping me to navigate through the hardest time of my life. Things are still not quite as beautiful as I would like them to be. Some great friendships fell apart along the way, but I feel that I've done my best to see them restored and reconciled. I am in a great moment in my life with my family, living in a place that we love and helping others. So thankful for Restoring Connections.
Scott Berry
Freelance Filmmaker
It was quality time for my wife and me. We would put the kids to bed, sit on the couch, and watch the course videos; it really brought us together. The content was true and genuine, deep and thought-provoking, not for the faint of heart. The homework was very soul-searching from the get-go.
The intentionality and structure of the teaching were really positive for us. It also unified us as we did the homework together. The inner-healing time live session was really beneficial, powerful, and sensitive and resulted in a better understanding of myself.
Scott McCulloch
Youth Pastor
Restoring Connections has been profoundly life-changing for me. I have avoided making many relational mistakes, experienced freedom from past hurts and burdens, and grown in my character and leadership. There has been no other mentoring so helpful in the development of my connection with God and people. As a leader in a local church, relationships (with God and others) are foundational and pivotal to any success or fruitfulness. Restoring Connections has been a God-sent lifesaver in these areas. I have learnt how to earn trust, engage in healthy conflict, resolve unhealthy conflict, and create a safe place with good communication. I highly recommend Restoring Connections to everyone.
Maddison Ferris
Missions Trainee
I first met Matt and Cora during a DTS with YWAM ships. I was blessed to have these two as our school leaders. I have learned and grown so much under their leadership and advice. They taught me how to be aware of my feelings, in happiness or sadness, and how to acknowledge them for what they are. How to set healthy, strong boundaries with the people in my life, so that I can guard and nurture my heart better.
The wonderful thing is they share with you all these beautiful ways to communicate with people, and then if you spend any amount of time with them, you will see that this way of communicating that they are talking about is exactly the way they live their lives. That is so encouraging to me, someone who is normally very passive, to see that this can be a way of living.
Restoring Connections is an extension of how they have created their connections with God and the people around them. They choose love every time. Receiving that lesson from them has been life-changing for me and my relationships.
Gabriel Boucher
Film School Director
The Restoring Connections course is one of the best courses I have ever done. The format lends itself to in-depth reflection and profound transformation like very few things I have experienced. The wisdom, combined with genuine storytelling and encouragement, makes for a powerful experience that will impact and release you in new ways.
Kayla Norris
Communications Consultant
Restoring Connections is the real deal. I’ve had coaching sessions over the last five years, and it’s changed everything for me. After processing big decisions or relational issues with them, I come out more self-aware, understanding of those around me, and clear on my next steps. I’ve also had the privilege to see the founders practise what they preach in the way they treat each other and their family. I’m beyond honoured to know them, and couldn’t recommend them highly enough.
Alissa Smith
Missions Project Facilitator
If there’s anything I know of Restoring Connections, it’s their passion and desire for equipping, empowering, and releasing others. I personally have experienced this and benefited from these incredible people and the way they love, give, and do life.
Liz Goodgame
Personal Mentoring Participant
Restoring Connections possess a depth of experience and insight that is truly unique - but the real beauty of their gift is the way they have collected and organised that wisdom for the benefit of others. They approach complicated issues with a humble simplicity that makes the challenge of relational growth easier to manage. I love their hopeful optimism and creative content - three cheers for Restoring Connections!
Annemarie Gayton
Project Leader
After being in ministry for around 10 years, I had hit the wall. I was done, burnt out by unhealthy ministry relationships and feeling blocked from being released to what I was called into. I reached out to Restoring Connections as my last attempt to stay in ministry: to not quit and head in a completely different direction. My husband and I were able to process this disheartening time and start on the journey to healing in our ministry relationships. We now feel like we are able to remain in healthy, authentic, loving, relationships with boundaries. We feel strong and released into what we are called to do.
Alisha Davy
Personal Mentoring Participant
Restoring Connections has been a integral part of my healing and faith journey over the years. Matt and Cora have challenged me, comforted me, coached me and consoled me through very difficult and painful experiences in my life, as well as celebrated the victories and breakthroughs I’ve had. I will always be eternally grateful for their genuine love, patience, perseverance and hope. I came to realise that there is always a way forward, no matter what comes your way. It's about the right perspective. I love and appreciate them immensely and highly recommend them.
Will and Amanda Poil
Guided Conversations Participants
We are so grateful for Restoring Connections and the time and care Matt took walking with us through an unsettling and challenging time in our work. We are deeply thankful for the wisdom, hope and encouragement he has infused into our hearts with the value placed on authentic communication, healthy relationships and nurturing your heart's needs. We are forever grateful for all that Restoring Connections is.
Tim Hewitt
Couples Retreat Participant
I found the Restoring Connections Marriage Retreat deeply moving because the content felt road-tested and full of real-life examples of how it can be worked out.
It went way beyond one-dimensional behavioural psychology and went into stuff that is often really not talked about, like boundaries which often get oversimplified in the context of marriage. It felt game-changing. Talking about practical ways to change my heart posture so that I can move responsibility away from the ‘others’ to focusing on my personal responsibility was really powerful.
Team Testimonies
Matt and Cora brought a ‘kete’ of rich knowledge and expertise, authentic practice, excellent relational skills, flexibility, and a genuinely willing heart to strengthen us as individuals and as a team. They were attentive and responsive to each individual valuing our comments. They set a very safe and trusting context to share and grow together. Over a period of eight consecutive weeks, we spent 1 and a half to 2 hours after school covering the following topics: ‘Personal Responsibility, Proactive Care; Powerful Communication and Healthy Boundaries. What was striking was how directly our learning transferred to our own families, our classrooms, and with whānau as we are in contact with colleagues, ākonga/students and their whānau/families daily. On several occasions, we’d find ourselves sharing some of our learning with whānau who were seeking to grow their tamariki. At the heart of effective education, which has been extensively researched, is ‘relationship’, and relationships which are holistic and healthy, allow all involved to thrive.
Chapman College
Principal
Matt and Cora have run two, one-day workshops for us based around their Restoring Connections course content that they tailored to our unique team and organisation. Right from the first meeting Matt and Cora were warm, welcoming and supportive.They worked hard to listen to me and really hear what the need was for our team, team culture and this season at the Early Learning Centre (ELC). They came alongside myself as the manager and when they provided the actual course content to the team it was impactful, meaningful and incredibly helpful. Their team were clear communicators, working hard to support us to access the course to the fullest potential, making sure we clearly understood what was required of us. We completely endorse this programme to help organisations to work in robust, meaningful and connected ways. This is a course that I will be recommending to many to support their workplaces to operate at their full potential.
Changepoint Early Learning
Former Manager
I have really enjoyed the Restoring Connections Team Mentoring workshops that Matt and Cora have provided for us. I have learnt that in challenging relational situations I can be kind to myself while also being kind to the other person, because their needs matter, and my needs matter too. I have also been able to use this in my home life, which shows how valuable the sessions are.
Capes Medical
Team Leader
Restoring Connections gave tools and support tailored to a variety of our needs and brought effective, clear, and practical steps for our specific team engagement. Highly recommended!
YWAM Zion
Training Coordinator
“I just want to let you know that time spent with you has transformed my work life. I can’t thank you enough. I understand my colleagues so much better now. I get less frustrated, and am more focused on what I need to do to support the team so we can achieve more.”