May Missionary of the Month
- Janet Richey
- May 6
- 5 min read
A Little Bit About Love:
Maybe not Africa, but Love felt God's calling to reach the "spiritually neglected" early in her Christian walk. She began close to home with neighbors and siblings, and then, as a teen, participated in short-term mission trips.
During her time at Bible Institute, Love was introduced to Africa Inland Missions. After a year-long application process, she accepted the only assignment offered to her- serving the Laarim in South Sudan.
Living in Pennsylvania with her siblings, her grandfather introduced her to Living Water's Missions Outreach program, and a relationship was born.
About that Work in South Sudan:
Love Boettinger serves as a missionary in South Sudan, located in East-Central Africa. Love and her team hold Bible studies where the gospel can be shared and relationships built and fortified. Love continues to learn the language so she can better meet the needs of the South Sudanese. Love's team's focus is evangelism and discipleship to help the Laarim Believers grow in the Lord and take on ministry roles in the community. They hope that they will also grow in Biblical unity amongst themselves through this discipleship.
Prayer Requests
That Love will love the Lord and know Him more.
For a focused and fruitful final month and a half before David and Tessa leave the team.
Peace and reconciliation for South Sudan's governing bodies.
Good rains and enough grain for a successful planting season.
Wisdom and Spirit-led compassion as they respond to the never-ending hardships
Wise use of the time they have here, knowing that tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us.
The several children who are sick with painful skin sores.
And Praises!
The group effort that raised the church shelter in a week!
Renewed health after a couple of weeks of a cold and stomach issues.
A new sister in Christ!
Rains have started to return, bringing with the wild fruits and leafy vegetables.
Logwe and his family moved to our compound and will continue to lead the church here!
The following is from Love's April Newsletter. If you wish to receive her newsletter, you can email her directly at loveleeellis@gmail.com
Hello Friends and Family!
I hope this update finds you well and enjoying the humbling and joyous celebration of new life in Christ!
Speaking of Life...Life here is as unpredictable as a rabid raccoon. Thankfully, nothing comes as a surprise to God, so we can confidently trust His plans and follow His lead.
Over the last couple of months of changing plans and shifting seasons, there have been some really encouraging developments!
Buildings, Bugs, and Another Baptism!
The plan was for me to go on break in mid-March, but our team was going to have visitors around that time. Besides, I didn't feel like taking a break when life and ministry here had just started picking up momentum. It was fine with me that my break needed to be postponed, especially since plans were coming together for putting up the Church shelter finally! At the end of March, our team, the Believers here, and a talented guy from Torit all worked together to get not only the Church shelter up, but the beginnings of what is now Logwe and Nacici's home. Having Logwe and his family on he compound has already been such a blessing. It is encouraging seeing them settle in so well to life and ministry with us.
Then it was April, and my plan was to go to Nairobi for a week to rest, but National Security was getting unstable, so my flights were canceled. I didn't mind that either. A staycation would do just fine. The rains and bugs have returned, and one of the young ladies from our prayer group was ready to be baptized! Logwe baptised her in David's garden Barrel.
Before taking my staycation, my teammates and I received the eagerly awaited answer from our leaders about the future of our team. With David and Tessa leaving after May, it was questionable whether the team would be allowed to continue with only two members...Thankfully, Logwe and Nacici moving in has answered that concern, and Jacob and I are able to continue ministry here!
I took all last week to rest and meditate on God's Word. My teammates helped me make sure I wasn't interrupted by anyone. It was refreshing and provided the much-needed time to process some of life's difficulties. One of the main reflections was compassion fatigue and how to love
sustainably when demands on time and resources are urgent and endless...
The Heart that Bled
As the demands of life and the needs of dear people around me only seem to increase, I continually find myself looking to Christ and asking, "What should I do?" I have so much to learn about many things, and some of those things must be prayerfully wrestled with moment by moment. The dilemma of what love and compassion should look like amid so much need is one of those recurring lessons for me.
For the past several months, Ive been reflecting on passages that outline what it means to love as Christ loved. Here are some of the things I was reminded of...
All I have is Christ's, I'm just a steward. He gave me all that I have so that I can serve Him with it.
We are to be generous with our resources when meeting the needs of the Church/Fellow Believers. We are to be wise and prayerful as we approach the needs of those outside the Church.
Compassion is good and necessary, but emotions can be unstable and manipulated if not rooted in Truth and guided by the Holy Spirit.
Loving my neighbor isn't about single-handedly trying to fix the suffering of everyone around me or meeting human expectations. It is about proclaiming Christ's sufficiency in suffering and great need. It's still my prerogative to be generous with what the Lord has given me, but to do it out of obedience and love for the Lord rather than out of fear, shame, guilt, or because of others' expectations. My responsibility is to direct people to Christ and to rely on Him to supply their needs instead of encouraging them to depend on me for quick and temporary relief. There is much I still need to learn about the relationship between being used and being useful. But, the more I reflect on it, the more I just come back to loving my Savior who gave all for me. He is the one who poured out his lifeblood for me, and it is my reasonable service to lay down my life and all that I possess to tell others about Him.
What Jesus is able to provide is daily and eternal sustenance for the body and soul. He is the only bleeding heart that will ever be able to truly tend to the cares of those who are in need. So, in conclusion, we have a wonderful Living Savior, and I will continue to share His story as I prayerfully serve Him by serving others.
Please consider supporting Love in her work by donating today:
Or contact her:
WhatsApp: LoveB. +254 743 525093
Email: Loveleeellis@gmail.com
Letters/Snail Mail: PO Box 640 Arua, Uganda
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