Story & Photos by Rachel Gwole
Young Blessing Henry says watching MAF aircraft has fueled his dream to fly.
Blessing Henry lives close to Monrovia’s James Spriggs Airfield and is inspired every time he sees a MAF plane take off to bring help, hope, and healing to isolated communities in Liberia. The seventh-grade student, who dreams of becoming a pilot and an aircraft engineer, used his passion for aviation to create his own replica of a MAF plane.
The shy young boy was thrilled to be able to visit the MAF office to present his project and learn more about MAF’s work. “I took three days and nights to design this beautiful plane of MAF, I got attracted by the colour of MAF, it looks amazing with a beautiful colour pointing out the meaning of help, hope, and healing,” says Blessing.
“When the MAF plane is picking up I will sit and observe it, sometimes I can study to see how it moves and how all the parts function and take the idea into study and fix a plane I made. “I am so happy for this airline, for MAF to be in Liberia, I dreamed of seeing myself in a plane next to the pilot volunteering in my area of study, and I will be so much overjoyed to sit in the co-pilot seat some days seeing myself arriving at my dream.”
Blessing and his friend Emmanuel Barney visited MAF Liberia to show the team the aircraft he made out of old cartons and bits of zinc roofing materials.
He says that he loved his first visit to the MAF office, but there was some sadness behind his smile because he realised he spelt the name ‘AMF’ on the tail of the model aircraft. “I noticed that the name on the plane the spelling was different MAF instead of AMF, Aviation Mission Fellowship, I felt too bad, and broken because it took days and nights to complete the work, and showing the wrong word hurt,” he says.
Blessing Henry watches MAF aircraft every day from his home and was also inspired by the story of Abner Yonly who became the first African to fly across the Atlantic with a single-engine aircraft from the USA to Liberia. “My dream is to become a pilot and an engineer; I am motivated whenever I see MAF aircraft flying,” he said. “I feel so good and very happy for Liberia to have Albner Yonly, he made the country’s name big. I am hoping for a sponsor to help support my dream, I am looking forward to becoming the second pilot and an engineer to bring pride to my country Mama Liberia.”
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