“Sometime in early 1970 I was flying my OV-10 Bronco over Cambodia during the Vietnam War. A bright flicker of reflected light caught my eye off to the left side of the airplane. I turned to head over there to see what it was. I saw that it was a very large barn with a tin roof. Looks like a good place to hide supply trucks, bad guys, etc. I dropped down to a lower altitude and fired a rocket. It missed! Now that upset me because I considered myself to be a top gun crack shot. I came back around again for another try. That day the OV-10 happened to be loaded with high explosive rockets. I let go a couple of those and really blew that barn to tiny little pieces. Nothing happened. No explosions, no fires, nothing. There was nothing there.”
These are the words of my grandpa, Evan Quiros.
Years after this experience 2 instances caused my grandpa to want to “clean up his life”. First was the passing of my Tia Susie, his daughter. Second came when he decided to join AA, as he reached the last portion of AA they went over the topic of making amends. My Papa hadn’t thought about Cambodia for some time before this, but as he thought about making amends Cambodia popped into his mind. He felt like he needed to do something to repay the wrong he did on that day, by bombing that farmers barn.
In true Evan fashion, he opted to board a plane and head over to Asia. As he says “I decided that making amends by just donating to some organization that was working in Cambodia would be way too easy.”
(If you know him this doesn’t surprise you, he’s all about drama and we all love him for it.)
After a series of events, and meeting with locals my Papa found his way to a man named Chris who was on a mission to build 10 schools for un reached villages in Cambodia. Chris called his organization United World Schools. He had 3 schools finished but was at a standstill, that’s where Papa came in…he funded the remaining 7 and so began his involvement. From there the two of them began to brain storm how to make an even greater impact. The dorm idea was born. A lot of students ended up dropping out or going no further that 6th grade because it’s so hard for them to get back and forth from school, some end up walking over 4 miles a day. The solution? They built dorms for them to live in while they attended high school.
In honor of my Tia Susie, they built them in her name. 3 dorms have been built and a 4th is in the works! It’s amazing the tragedies in life that God uses for the good of His kingdom.
Ryan and I were able to spend our last week in the same city that my Papa spent his time. At the very schools he funded and the dorms he started.
It was so special to meet the students living in these dorms, knowing that because of this dorm they can finish school. Knowing that 9,000 miles away from our home in Texas there are students that pass by a picture of my Tia Susie on their way into their room each night!
Each morning we would visit one of the school locations and get the chance to play with the kids; we hula-hooped, we played volley ball, catch, jump rope, duck duck goose and freeze tag.
Ryan taught the little ones the chicken dance and they laughed the whole while smiling ear to ear, and in turn so was I after seeing their grins and knowing that I was retracing my grandpa’s footsteps, standing where he had years before!
Now this is what I call a once in a lifetime experience…I mean really, we spent our last evening eating a traditional meal of curry beef talking with the staff about our shared love for my grandpa.
Thank you, Papa, for the mark you’ve left wayyyyy over here on the other side of the world. And thank you for being the man, husband, father, grandfather, that I can point back to one day and tell my children about. We love you!
-Megan & Ryan
