Written by Matt Price, October 2026
We want to share a picture of what we are experiencing while living in France, serving as missionaries to bring light to a dark place. Some moments seem darker than others, and we need your prayers as we seek to shine that Light.
Shock! Horror! Anger! If you have seen any of the recent images or videos from France, you have probably felt those emotions as you watch young people pillage and burn monuments, mayors’ offices, and other local businesses.
Our French IM mission team has felt all of that too. As with any situation, one must ask, “What is the truth being told by the images being shown? Is this a youth issue? Is this the result of failed immigration policies?” Depending on your news source, you can get all sorts of responses to those questions.
One of the first things you have to understand is France’s culture of strikes. Since the French Revolution in 1789, a key aspect of French culture has been taking to the streets when a group is unhappy with government decisions. Students, farmers, and truckers all have no problem taking to the streets to voice their concerns. One year, even the homeless took to the streets to protest their rights. And they won!
So what is going on now? These rounds of strikes started with high schoolers, primarily because of budget cuts; money was rerouted to other needs, leaving high schools without toilet paper in bathrooms, no substitute teachers, rats in the bathrooms, and class sizes of 40 or more. It wasn’t just an immigrant issue, even though many media outlets showed it that way.
This past Saturday, October 17, over 800,000 people took to the streets to show their frustration against inflation, the price of fuel (we are currently paying $11 a gallon), and taxes overwhelming the police’s expectations of 100,000. For most of the day, it almost felt like a huge “block party.” However, a group of people has joined the protests just to be violent. Are they being paid to cause chaos from different political parties? Everyone has an opinion. Only God knows the truth.
Although there have been protests in all the cities where our churches are located, our missionary Free Will Baptist churches are not affected. We are not overly concerned for our physical safety currently.
Other IM missionaries share, “While it hasn’t necessarily affected daily life or safety, there have been instances where public transport has been quite late, or they’ve made us get off early as a safety precaution and walk the rest of the way to school. We do know some families who say their kids are experiencing quite a bit of anxiety around going to school now. No child should have to worry about their classmates or any outsiders acting dangerously or threatening their schools.”
Please pray for these families, parents, and kids in the schools affected by this unrest. We do greatly appreciate your prayers for our adopted country. Pray for calm, as more days of protests are already scheduled. Pray that in the turmoil, God will give us opportunities to show His love for the French people.