30-Days of Prayer for Myrtle Beach Exchange Visitors

A summer abroad can be a life-changing experience. Students will bring home changed perspectives and a new way to see the world around them! Our heart is to see many students bring the Light of Christ back to their families, universities and countries!! Pray for those who have encountered Jesus to find local believers that can help them grow.

We made it to Day 30! Thank you for walking this road of prayer with us for the last 30 days. As the summer begins, please continue to pray for J1 students and the volunteers who are connecting with them. We believe God has great plans for this summer and are excited to see him work. May the Nations be reached with the Light of Christ!

Our heart in working with J1 students is to join in the work God is already doing in their lives, helping to further their journey toward belief in Jesus.  For some, that means learning about who he is, for others, it is gaining an understanding of the Bible stories they heard as children.  For some, it means encountering the Love of Jesus for the first time and committing their lives to Him!  Pray that of the things they experience while they are here will further their understanding of who Jesus is and how much he loves them.  Pray that our volunteers will be bold in sharing, and sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as they share.  Pray for students to encounter Christ and be led to a crisis of belief.  

A large part of the All Nations Cafe ministry is bike rentals!  There is a bike rental team, led by Jimmy and Mary Barton, that not only rents bikes, but fixes them, both at the Cafe nights and as a mobile repair team.  The Bartons and their team are generous with their time and resources, and as a result have many opportunities to share the love of Christ as they are helping students. Pray for more skilled team members to join them and that God would be present in the midst of all of their encounters with students throughout the summer.  

We have previously prayed about corrupt landlords and helping students who have medical emergencies.  These two things in particular often lead to students needing emergency housing.  Chris and Lisette Ball are J1 Emergency Housing coordinators.  They help coordinate temporary housing for students who have had their housing fall through once they arrive, or they need to shift because of some sort of serious issue.  They will often house students in their own home or in the home of another volunteer for 3-5 days before finding them a new permanent placement.  These emergency situations often lead to opportunities to share the love of Christ with the students as volunteers demonstrate love and care during stressful times. 

Ministry to J1 students is a huge opportunity, that is really only possible through the many volunteers who take time out of their summer schedules to be present to students.  The ministry varies from greeting new arrivals at the airport to driving students to work in the rain, to helping students navigate social security applications!  Pray for blessings on these volunteers- that God would multiply their time and give them rest in the midst of  the busy season!  That they would have opportunities to share the love of Christ in significant ways, and they would be fulfilled in the work!  

Mike and Kathy Winfree work in partnership with the City of Myrtle Beach and the Chamber of Commerce to provide support to the J1 community in a variety of ways!  They are the “first line of defense” for student issues and problems.  Is your employer withholding your paycheck?  Call Mike and Kathy.  Is your housing overrun by cockroaches? Call Mike and Kathy.  Are your roommates being nasty with you and you don’t know how to handle it?  Call Mike and Kathy!   Pray for energy and stamina, as it is a big job and they are pretty much on call all summer long!  They love Jesus with their whole hearts and share that love with each student they interact with, through their actions, words or prayers!

The J1 International exchange program is not cheap!  Students have to pay sponsor companies, buy flights, pay for housing and other living expenses, and also hope to travel at the end of their “work and travel program.”  Many have to get second jobs in order to make enough money to pay for it all!  Before Covid slowed the tourist industry in Myrtle Beach, second jobs were easy to come by and they worked full schedules at their first jobs!  But now, with the slowing of the economy, students often only get the minimum numbers of hours guaranteed in their contracts, and struggle to find second jobs.  Pray for wisdom for students, that they would know when and where to apply for jobs.  Pray that they would be wise with their finances and how they plan their travel at the end of the season.  Pray that students would be able to pay off any debts they incurred in trying to get here for the summer

Exchange visitors don’t always get to pick their roommates.  They come from a vast array of cultural backgrounds and expectations.  Many who come from wealthy families grew up with “house help” that did all the cleaning and cooking and never learned those skills!  Pray for roommates to be willing to learn from each other, have patience, and be willing to do their part to contribute to the household!  Pray for cultures to connect, learn and grow together in this cultural exchange program.  

Conflict with employers or managers is another issue we hear about throughout the summer.  Sometimes totally justified, and sometimes as a result of students not being very good employees! (at times, this is their first time ever having to work!) Pray for humble hearts on both sides, and for the J1 students to grow in their ability to work with people they might not get along with!  Pray for managers to have patience with employers who are learning new skills and how to navigate communicating in English in the work setting. Pray for wisdom for volunteers as they listen to complaints to discern how to help, when to share words of correction amidst words of encouragement!

For the next few days, we will focus on some of the primary issues we hear about from students as the summer goes on- first up- corrupt landlords. Housing and issues with landlords/property managers is one of the primary ways we see exchange visitors exploited each summer.  Overcrowding, over-charging, unsanitary/unsafe conditions, and withholding deposits without cause are common themes.  While there are systems in place to try and keep landlords accountable, often students don’t know they can, or are afraid to report these issues.  Sometimes the issues are even more severe, as there are those who exploit in more serious ways, including bullying, threatening deportation(though they don’t actually have the power to do that!), and in some cases even physical violence or propositioning them for sexual favors.  Please pray for students to speak up to the right people who can help them, for authorities to take action, and for hearts to be turned toward Christ!