Mexico 2024

Paige Chappell -M10 2024

From Action to Impact

My Journey to Mexico with M10: Paige’s Story

Hi! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Paige, and I’m 17 years old. I first heard about M10 during an assembly in Year 11, when Stephen shared his mission to take students to Mexico. As soon as I heard about it, I knew I wanted to go! When I told my parents, though, they reminded me that I had my GCSEs that year, so the idea got pushed to the next year.

Fast forward a year later, I still wanted to go. I think my parents hoped I would have forgotten about it, but I hadn't! So, they said yes, and my journey began.

I started fundraising and attending monthly meetings. Honestly, the meetings were a bit tough for me at first. We jumped straight into small groups, getting deep into conversations, but no one was really talking. I remember feeling bad for the leaders trying to get us to open up. The year went by, and suddenly it was about a month before the trip, and it hit me — I was really going to Mexico!

The Adventure Begins

At the airport, I didn’t know many people, but as we traveled, I started putting names to faces. After what felt like forever, we arrived in Mexico at 1 AM. We were all exhausted, but the YWAM staff greeted us with cheers, claps, and high fives. Despite the long journey, it made us all smile.

But here's where the hard part comes — putting this trip into words. I could tell you all the facts about what we did, but it wouldn’t do the experience justice. It wasn’t just about building a house; it was about listening to people’s stories and showing them they matter. Let me share a few that really stuck with me.

A Story from the Dump

One day, we visited a dumpsite where families, including children, live among the trash. Earlier, we’d packed food parcels to give out, but they were gone within minutes. All that was left were packets of juice powder, and I thought, "This isn’t enough." But one of our translators, Connor, told me to trust him and hand it out. So, I did.

The man I gave it to was so grateful. He shared his story with Connor, who later translated it for us. When he was born, his mother left him and his siblings with their grandmother and moved to the U.S. to earn money. As he grew up, his siblings tried dangerous ways to cross the border and join her, but they failed, and he didn’t know where they were now. After his grandmother passed away, he moved to the dump, trying to earn enough to cross the border legally and finally meet his mother.

Seeing how much strength this man had — and how a small thing like juice powder brought him so much gratitude — left a deep impact on me.