The SM Spirit
by Kobe Ngo
Work Camp— Day 3! Today encapsulates the very essence of a Sunflower Mission Work Camp day in all its glory. Gone are the days of introductions and orientation sessions; no more obligatory “sit next to someone you haven’t yet sit next to” assignments at lunch, as it has now proved obsolete since everyone has already familiarized with each other already. Today was just ‘show up and get to work’— and ‘get to work’ we did.
Already running on minimal sleep due to mattresses you would have a hard time believing aren’t slabs of wood, along with time zone-inducing midnight meetings with the other side of the world, it was still a much more arduous day than we expected.
Our tasks were manifold, from preparing classrooms for upcoming workshops to constructing an entire playground set. The day called for proactive collaboration, and it was answered in full measure. A pivotal moment unfurled post-lunch, while working on the playground. Five individuals - all team leaders - took it upon themselves to paint the playground, an undertaking not explicitly allocated to any team. This spontaneous display of servant leadership rippled across the site, inspiring others to join in. With each scrape of paint from the bucket and each bead of sweat that fell, we gradually transformed the playground. And just as the bus prepared to depart, we proudly beheld our completed playground— a product of every single contribution.
As the day concluded, we retreated to the Đức Tài Hotel. The daily dilemma of whether to take a rejuvenating shower only to be consumed by humidity immediately after at dinner awaited me. The decision was made all the more difficult by a throbbing headache, courtesy of the relentless heat. I ended up taking 2 showers this evening... as I have every other day.
Aside from my personal crisis, the evening brought joyous respite. A vibrant poolside barbecue dinner followed our day of work, our camaraderie echoing in the form of lively karaoke sessions and competitive volleyball matches. There it is— the spirit of Sunflower Mission. While it might seem that work camp revolves around hard work and 'planting the seeds of education', a great, yet overused expression we've adopted to define ourselves— it encompasses so much more. The essence lies not just in the tireless work under the blistering Vietnamese sun, but also in the unadulterated joy that follows. Even after a strenuous day, people are still eager to exhaust the little energy they have left in sharing laughter and camaraderie. It's a pure joy that's increasingly scarce in our frenzied world. It may be difficult to realize in the moment, but as a now 4-time workcamp veteran, I know that this is the birth of a new family.