Three days. I leave in three days. That reality has yet to fully sink in. I’ve been eagerly anticipating this moment ever since I applied to TIME seven months ago, and now it’s finally here. With every passing hour, I can feel myself growing more excited—and more restless. I’m sure the full wave of emotions will hit me like a sucker punch when I say goodbye to my family at the airport and board the plane on my own.

But I’m not really alone, am I? First and foremost, I know that the God of the universe is and will always be by my side. And what a gift that is for us as believers!! Secondly, I am blessed to have an incredible community at home that has supported me every step of the way. Since the beginning of this journey, I’ve been absolutely overwhelmed by the generosity of others. Some have given financially, while others have offered their time and talents to help me fundraise in creative ways. Because of everyone’s support, I am now fully funded for my TIME Missions internship and 50% funded for the World Race!! Praise God!!! I’ve also been deeply touched and humbled by the number of people who have intentionally taken time out of their day to pray over me. James 5:16 says “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” I appreciate prayers more than you know!

What amazes me most is that this support hasn’t just come from family and lifelong friends, but also from people I’ve only recently gotten to know, and even complete strangers! Recently, I’ve been reading through the book of John, and this morning John 15:12 stuck out to me. Jesus says to His disciples shortly before His arrest, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” This is exactly what I have seen exemplified by the people around me recently (God’s timing is so awesome, isn’t it?!). I’ve experienced the sacrificial love of the body of Christ firsthand, and it has challenged me (and I hope it challenges you as well!) to be even more intentional in loving the people in my own life, both here at home and out on the mission field.

May has been a whirlwind of a month… they don’t call it “Maycember” for nothing. I’ve had final school projects, prom, graduation, a wedding, and so many little things in between. I felt like I hardly had time to catch my breath, let alone prepare for a summer internship! But this past week my family and I were able to escape to the beach, which was exactly the break I needed. I was able to slow down, spend quality time with family, make final preparations for TIME, and most importantly, spend unhurried time alone with God. (Bible + beach sunrise = perfection!) I spent a lot of time reflecting on my expectations for this trip and praying over all the interns, missionaries, and groups serving with TIME this summer, as well as for the local people we’ll have the opportunity to impact.

I would really appreciate your prayers for all the interns—all nine of us! (Eight gals and one guy… bless him!) Please pray for smooth and safe travels, good health, and hearts that are ready to learn and grow as we go through orientation.

My next blog update will be from the Dominican Republic, so stay tuned!

To God be the glory,

Betsy-Cate Dumas