Raymond Takes Flight
Raymond Takes Flight
by David Langeland
In early December, Raymond completed his final semester at Liberty University and received the documentation needed to remain in the USA for one year of work experience. During his time at LU, Raymond also completed all the FAA requirements to be certified as an airplane mechanic. In his quest to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming an aviation engineer, major milestones have now been completed.
Two days after celebrating Christmas together, another chapter in Raymond’s story was about to begin. In the early morning of Dec. 27th, Raymond and I began the 1400+ mile journey from Lynchburg, Virginia to Amarillo, Texas with all his earthly possessions crammed into his compact car. We were driving to Amarillo because Raymond had been hired by Flight Mechanix, an aircraft maintenance company which services corporate jets, based in Amarillo, Texas. He was scheduled to begin his new career on January 2. Two long days of driving brought us to Raymond’s new hometown of Amarillo. There we secured his new apartment key, unloaded his belongings, made a trip to the big discount store, ate an amazing Mexican dinner, and started the process of setting up his new home.
The next day, I had Raymond drive me to see his new place of employment which is located at the Amarillo International Airport. It was the Friday before New Years Eve so there was little activity happening at the Flight Mechanix office and hangar facility, but it was impressive to see where Raymond would soon begin working. After a brief walk around the facility, it was time for Raymond to drop me off at the airport departure terminal so that I could return home to Lynchburg in time for New Years with the rest of the family. While I was the one boarding an airplane, I could only think that Raymond was the one who was truly taking flight - as he continues in God’s amazing plan for his life!
A more detailed video version of Raymond's story can be seen in the article below along with the stories of some of our other sponsored students. Click to watch Raymond's Story.
We are so proud of Ray’s achievements and excited to see what his future holds. We are also extremely thankful for all of the supporters of the Treasures of Africa KIDZ Education Fund who have made this financially possible. THANK YOU for believing with us that orphaned and abandoned children and young people can truly succeed.
