“Paige* is crying for hours each night and not sleeping,” reports one of her friends.

She didn’t tell anyone that she was laying in her bed sobbing. She didn’t tell anyone that she was being teased mercilessly at school. One of the boys at her school joked, “Your pen is bigger than you are!” and everyone laughed — even her friends. While she didn’t react at that moment, she’s been replaying the scene in her head and can’t let it go. 

Looking at stats about today’s middle schoolers can be unsettling:

• 51% have recurring symptoms of physical or mental health issues
• 44% have a stomach ache thinking about going to school
• 38% will try smoking to cut stress
• 14% have symptoms of depression

Teens need a sense of belonging. That’s why our global workers in Paris started a youth group designed to boost self esteem and identity in Christ. This equips them to fight anxiety while also giving them a friend group that is “swimming upstream” with them. 

Thankfully, our global workers persuaded Paige’s mom to allow her daughter to come to the group. “I am literally pulling all the strings to get people at the table. Texting a mom to let ‘Teen A’ come so that ‘Teen B’ will come who needs to be there for Paige’s mom to feel comfortable,” Nichole says. “But if that’s what it takes then that’s what we’ll do, because teens need belonging.”

Their gatherings are a safe place for teens to explore God’s Word together, practice gratitude, and express their emotions and needs. Here’s an example of what one of the teen girls shared at a recent gathering:

“I’m mad that there are still mean people in the world and they make school miserable and it’s not fair. I need God’s strength to face middle school every day.”

Nichole says, “We were able to offer each of these teens their first Bibles.” In addition, they are providing them with a safe haven and a community in Jesus where they can belong. We’re excited about how these students are encountering Jesus in a country where most live in spiritual poverty. God, please use this youth group to continue revealing Yourself to the teens of France.

The Plaster’s ministry is made possible by partners around the world who want to see more churches planted, Bibles being read, and discipleship taking place. Would you consider partnering with them in reaching teens who have never touched a Bible?

*Name changed for security