PDF - order of malta lebanon

THE LEBANESE YOUTH POST
A Quarterly Newsletter
#14 January 2014
Be not sca red as “God i s w i t h us”!
By Patrick Jabre, Chabrouh Leader and Member of the Lebanese Association
Be not scared as “God is with us”!
So is the meaning of Emmanuel, an Angel who
returned home too soon!
An Angel who preferred to leave this painful world, as
he described it, to return home to Our Father who Art in
Heaven.
But Emmanuel did not leave without a fight! Emmanuel
knew that the only way to change this world of mockeries
and hypocrisies is through Love and Love only!
For years now, Emmanuel understood the true teaching
of Jesus Christ: «Love one another as I have loved you!»
Teaching, which he embraced totally while serving our
Lords the sick and the poor all summer long in Chabrouh
and Sourat for many years!
Those values, also shared by the Order of Malta, Emmanuel
learned them first hand at home through the infinite love
and teachings of his exemplary Mother Barbara and Father
Raymond but also passionate care of his beloved Sister
Mivida and Brother Christopher.
Today is a day of mourning to all of us, a day of tears
and sorrows, a day where every one of us is shattered
by the unpredictability of life itself! Today is also a day of
communion, communion of pain with Emmanuel’s family,
but also communion of strength through the Wholly Spirit.
But our Christian faith teaches us that today should also be
a day of feast and joy for our beloved Emmanuel, a day
where Emmanuel has successfully completed his journey in
this world, and is finally united with Our Father in Eternal Life.
Emmanuel also realized early on that every minute spent
serving and caring for those who need it the most was a
minute spent serving Jesus Christ himself!
Be not scared, Emmanuel is with us; he is our strength and
our faith during those difficult moments, and you all know
that this is not enough for Emmanuel, he also wishes to be
our hopes and our laughs!
Emmanuel was a silent leader, who led by example teaching
us all the true values of Christianity by loving and caring, but
also forgiving and turning the other cheek.
On behalf of the Order of Malta worldwide, we love you
Emmanuel, and I promise you one thing, you will never be
forgotten!
“I ask you not what is your color, your language, your race or your religion but tell me what your sufferance is”
My Little Souvenir Box
Discovering the Neighborhood …
An Exceptional Marathon
By Raissa Aoun, Lebanese Volunteer
By Michel Maroun, Lebanese Volunteer
By Constantin Beissel, Caravan Team
“I was given Christmas cards to distribute to my loved
ones. Here, take one because I love you!” (Laurence,
one of the elderly of Ain l Remmeneh- translated
from Arabic). It is these touching moments that make
me love volunteering with the Youth of the Order of Malta.
Each of Lourdes, Deir el Salib and Chabrouh built precious
memories in me that I can never forget. However, November
30 was a day for a new experience, a new chance to add
to my little box of souvenirs. My friends and I, already full
of Christmas spirit, headed towards the center of Ain el
Remmeneh. I was amazed by the enthusiasm of the elderly
and their eagerness to participate in activities like cards
and bingo, and talents emerged when one of the elderly
began singing and orchestrating as my friend played the
saxophone. I spent most of the time with Laurence, and she
was happy to have someone to talk to about the good and
the bad. This made me realize that the most important thing
one can provide for them is neither food nor gifts, but love
and sympathy. Once they are given that love, they forget
about their age and disease and radiate with the energy
of youth. At the end of the day, I returned with not only
Laurence’s Christmas card to add to my souvenir box, but
also with tons of warmth and eagerness to return.
“I was given Christmas cards to distribute to my
loved Being part of the Youth of the Order of Malta
volunteers at the American University of Beirut, I was
invited to spend some time with the elderly of the
Ain El Remmane area on November 30. My friend, Bassel
Chamesseddine, and I arrived at the Order of Malta center
where we found a group of enthusiastic young students
entertaining a group of elderly people. A friend of ours was
playing the saxophone and some of the guests were singing
along. Others, including myself, preferred to chat and listen
to the stories of the elderly. We played a game of bingo,
where our guests would take turns to pick out numbers. All
this was happening as food was being distributed among
the elderly guests, in a friendly and cozy atmosphere.
Weeks before the Deir El Salib Marathon, our boys got quite
excited. With every day passing, Finger-Charbel‘s motivation
grew and every 1-2 days he switched partners, as some
boys had or wanted to run with one of us.
I enjoyed the time I spent at the center because it showed
me a side of the neighborhood I live in that I thought never
existed. It made me happy to see that someone was
helping the area that had endured so much and still does. I
am honored to take part in these activities and look forward
to attend future ones.
Finger-Charbel did not stop telling us that he won the
marathon last year and that he had amazing running shoes.
So when finally the day was there, we arrived a few minutes
late because of our university classes. However, when Fawzi
drove us into Deir el salib, we saw our saint Dominique boys
in front of the building. All of them dressed up in their SaintDominique sports clothes.
So we took them and brought them up to the court, where
we then listened to several speeches, the caravan of
course, did not understand anything of it, but we saw how
all the guest of Deir el Salib and the visitors clapped and
screamed (the screaming part were mostly our boys).
Then the moment of truth was there as we went with the
boys to the starting line. We then again had to wait some
minutes. But some boys did not have the patience and
attempted to start off early, we then tried to explain to them
that they have to wait for the “go” of the head-sister of Deir
El Salib.
Suddenly we heard it, but somehow Finger-Charbel, Ghattas
and Nabil managed to sprint off so quickly that it was clear
who would be in the first three places.
I held Mustafa`s hand and we started walking as fast as we
could, leaving several runners behind us. In the middle of
the run Rahjid took us over, smiling when he past us. Also
we saw a female guest, trying to compete with our boys.
It worked quite well, until she started loosing her shoe on
several occassions.
When we then arrived at the finish line, both of us of course
covered in sweat and exhausted, we got a chocolate bar,
an orange and an ananas juice. It was all gone in a world
record breaking time.
Nabil went to the podium as the third runner up, Ghattas as
second and Finger-Charbel was the smiling first. All three of
them got new shirts and some toys.
Sadly the day was already over and we had to leave Deir
el Salib, but all of us were happy and looked forward to the
coming Christmas parties.
An Inspiring Experience
By Cynthia Sadaka, Lebanese Volunteer
Berbara at Ain el Remmaneh
By Reem Al Aaraj, Lebanese Volunteer
On Saturday November 30, we went to visit the
elderly at Ain elRemmaneh. When we first arrived, we
spent some time getting to know them. We played
cards, and bingo, and a volunteer was even playing
the saxophone while one of the elders was singing, and
another one was dancing, full of excitement. During the
whole time, I did not feel like I had to be there for some kind
of obligation or duty, on the contrary, I was surprised to see
myself as entertained by a game of bingo as some of the
elderly. Then, a lady wanted to foresee whether my wish
was going to be realized by shuffling a game of “solitaire”,
and she reassured me with great pleasure and pride that my
luck was promising, since the game had been successful.
After that, we put on masks and took some pictures with
the guests who were happy with their disguises. At the end
we distributed their lunch packages, and they went home,
grateful for our time and effort.
It was the second time I visit the elderly, and every time I
participate in this activity, it reminds me how to appreciate
the little things in life, and to be thankful for the blessings
that I have, like my health, my education, and most of all,
my family. In fact, when we are with the elderly, we realize
that the simplest of things can make them smile, and even
get up and sing or dance, and it is this feeling of satisfaction
and accomplishment that keeps me coming back to help
spread the joy. And this is why I cannot wait to try this year’s
Christmas camp, as it will be my first camp with disabled
people, and I am so eager to find out what I can give to
them, and what they, in turn, have to teach me.
Volunteering with the Youth at the elderly lunch was
my first activity with the Order of Malta. As a first-time
visitor, I had no idea what to expect, but I was eager
to find out what it was all about after hearing many
friends’ experiences. When I first entered the room, I was
surprised by how friendly everyone was despite the fact that
we had never met before. I was even more surprised when
I got the chance to meet Simon. I loved how he was still
so passionate about music after his life-long experience in
this field and the way his face lit up when he sang while my
friend Rami played the saxophone for him. He seemed so
happy to have found people who shared the same passion
even though it was only for a few hours. The smile that never
left his face and the jokes he constantly made inspired me
to be optimistic in life. I learned a lot of things that day, and
I would love to participate in other future activities.
Les Jeunes de l’Ordre de Malte…invités à l’Eglise de St Elie Kantari
Par Line Tabet, Team Leader
Les fêtes de Noel sont devenues pour beaucoup synonyme
de beaux cadeaux, de bons repas et de chants festifs. Mais
avant tout, et ce que personne ne devrait oublier, c’est
qu’en ce 25 Décembre on célèbre la naissance de Jésus
Christ. Et c’est dans cet esprit que les Jeunes de l’Ordre de
Malte ont décidé de commencer les célébrations et les
festivités des fêtes de Noel et de fin d’année par une messe
servie par les Jeunes à l’Eglise St Elie Kantari.
C’est ainsi que la messe du Dimanche 22 Décembre a vu
réuni les fidèles de la paroisse ainsi que les volontaires et
membres de l’Ordre de Malte qui ont tenu à activement
participer à la messe afin de se préparer spirituellement à
cette célébration.
Et qui dit Jésus Christ dit charité, amour et partage. Et quelle
meilleure façon de vivre ces valeurs pendant les fêtes de
Noel que de vendre des buches préparées et concoctées
par les Jeunes eux-mêmes avec l’aide de Chef Marc Ghaoui
et le support de Catertainment, et ce afin de récolter des
fonds. Ces buches ont donc été vendues après la messe, et
les fonds récoltés ont permis d’offrir aux personnes âgées du
centre de Ain el Remaneh et de Zouk des cadeaux de Noel.
Un grand merci à la paroisse de St Elie et notamment Père
Antoine Assaf pour leur chaleureux accueil, ainsi que tous
ceux qui ont contribué à la réussite de cet évènement
spirituel.
Finalement, Noel est bien synonyme de beaux cadeaux, de
bons repas et de chants festifs …. Si réalisés à la façon des
Jeunes de l’Ordre de Malte.
Christmas in Sourat
First Common Christmas Party with the Girls of Deir el Q a m a r
By Saskia Adaimy, Lebanese Volunteer
By Paul Aretin and Matthias Beverfoerde, Caravan Team
The Order of Malta International Camp, hosted in Ireland
this summer, was an amazing experience. It gathers several
teams from almost 20 different countries. Each delegation
has the team leader, the doctor and the priest, and like
in the Chabrouh camps, every volunteer takes care of his
guest.
where every country exposes its food specialties, traditions,
etc. We wore our traditional Sherwels and Abayas and
offered a typical Lebanese night, with hoummous, dabke,
arguileh, and of course amazing Arabic music –thanks to
Gaby and Barakat. The night was so successful, that they
asked us to do it again!
Throughout the week the guests are given opportunities to
try activities that might not be normally accessible to them.
This year, we had the chance to go horseback riding, sailing,
shooting, archery, painting and many other things. There
was also the annual tournament called “Christopher’s Cup”
which the Lebanese team proudly won for the first time! We
also enjoyed the disco every night, where the guests and
volunteers would dance with everyone all night long.
I was especially touched by the international gatherings,
where every country prayed and sang in its own language,
but we were all somehow connected. Samia, my guest,
loved the international exchange, and the fact that
everybody came up to her to talk, dance, and know more
about Lebanon. I will always remember her belly dancing
around on the dancefloor, and shouting the new english
words she learned.
The International Camp is also a very spiritual experience; we
used to have beautiful masses every day, sometimes with all
the countries, and other times we would enjoy a traditional
Lebanese mass, in which our two blind guests, Gaby and
Barakat, would sing, play the violin and piano, and animate
the mass. Another camp specialty is its international nights,
The International Camp is a very special and spiritual
experience. It offers the guests a possibility to experience
something new, meet volunteers and guests from all over
the world, see a whole new country and discover new
traditions. Like every Order of Malta activity, it is a very
touching experience, making the world a better place!
It was the first time that the Youth and the CARAVAN
decided to organise jointly a Christmas party for the
girls in Deir el Qamar. We all met in Down Town in the
morning to take the bus together, so we could get ourselves
into the Christmas spirit. As soon as we arrived a mass was
held in the presence of the girls and afterwards we took
them outside and started singing some Christmas songs,
eagerly waiting for the arrival of Santa Claus. The singing
session was lots of fun, with Pauljo and Joe playing the guitar
and the drums and with the loud and happy singing of at
least 25 volunteers. But the biggest Support were the Deir
el Qamar girls who always tried to sing with us even if they
didn’t know most of the lyrics. Fortunately, the weather was
quite warm so we all waited for Santa outside in the yard.
Everyone enjoyed the songs, especially because of the
special selection of international songs in Arabic, French,
English and German. Finally our Santa arrived and the girls
were very much enthusiastic and eager to meet him. He
distributed lots of Sweets and we kept on singing and playing
for about 2 hours. They loved pulling on Santa’s beard and
many girls never wanted to take off their Christmas hats. We
had a lot of Fun and as usual it was pretty hard to say Good
bye in the end. This is especially true for the volunteers of
the Youth who don’t see the girls as often as the Members
of CARAVAN.
Overall, it was amazing to share a little part of our Christmas
emotions and just to spend time with our friends.
A Special Ch r ist mas Conce r t
By Fadi Sfeir, Lebanese Team Leader
Un Don de Soi
Par Joe Sassine, Volontaire Libanais
L’esprit de Noël ne réside pas uniquement dans les
décorations et les cadeaux. Il y a une dimension immatérielle
qu’il faut savoir saisir pendant cette période. Il ne m’a jamais
été facile de percevoir cet aspect de Noël. Cependant,
le camp à Sourat m’a permis de sentir cela à travers nos
invitées. Le plus beau cadeau de Noël, c’était de voir mon
invitée sourire grâce à moi.
C’était mon premier camp et honnêtement, je ne
m’attendais pas à vivre une si belle expérience. Je dois
avouer que ce n’était pas facile le premier jour, mais dès le
deuxième, je me suis habitué. Prendre soin d’une personne
comme on prend soin de soi demande de la responsabilité
et de la patience. Mais il faut avouer que plus je m’attachais
à mon invitée, plus je trouvais la tâche facile. La relation qui
s’est créée entre nous n’est pas comme les relations sociales
usuelles. Elle est marquée par l’authenticité, l’innocence et
l’absence de toutes formes d’intérêts personnels.
Le programme du camp était bien choisi. Les activités
sportives, musicales et esthétiques étaient toutes marquées
par une ambiance chrétienne. La présence de volontaires
Européens avec les Libanais, nous a permis de réaliser que
peu importe notre nationalité, nous sommes tous capable
d’aider et de venir au secours des autres.
En conclusion, il ne reste qu’à espérer que le camp prochain
sera aussi passionnant que le premier.
December is a month that has become synonym for love,
happiness and reunion with our loved ones.
It is a tradition experienced and enjoyed amongst the world,
all nationalities and faiths mixed. Children, teenagers, adults,
as well as third age people, look forward to Christmas and
New Year for the familial as well as friendship gatherings,
exchange of love, warmth, as well as gifts.
The “boys” of Deir El Salib are no exception to this tradition.
Some of them do have families, but the vast majority
doesn’t, which makes our monthly activity at Deir El Salib
even more special and unique during the festivities.
On the 14th of December, a group of young Lebanese
volunteers along with the caravanists went to Deir El Salib,
to celebrate Christmas with our beloved “boys”. We
prepared cakes and juices, wrapped gifts, and went to
the St. Dominic’s pavilion. As usual, we were greeted in a
heartwarming way by the “boys”, jumping and shouting of
joy, hugging, kissing and embracing us as their own family.
They helped us deposit the cakes and juices at the kitchen
while continuously asking about Santa’s appearance. Our
reply was that Santa shouldn’t be late by now; and we
should greet him in a genuine Christmas spirit. So we turned
on the music, and started singing and dancing for Santa,
until one of the volunteers arrived running and shouting:
“Eja Papa Noel!”, “Eja Papa Noel”. A brief silence was
created thereafter, until we could hear, few seconds later,
the ringing of a bell increasingly getting louder and louder.
It was him! It was Santa coming towards us with several bags
of gifts. Silence was broken, and replaced by cheers and
screams of joy. It was a truly genuine and indescribable
moment of bliss and happiness lived by the “boys”, and all
of them wanted to hug Santa and thank him while receiving
their gifts. Nothing can describe this scene as the boys who
just want to be heard, hugged, and loved by anyone, are
actually sharing this experience at Christmas, not only with
the people they love but also with a real messenger of God
to their eyes: Santa.
And so, we left our “friends” with their minds filled with
comfort and inner peace, and promised, as usual, to visit
them again on the following month.
A very Special appreciation to our forever present Santa,
Abboud Homsi.
T h e Yo u t h a t t h e B e i r u t M a r a t h o n
La Ret raite Vitaminée
By Coralie Zaccar, Youth Treasurer and Member of the Lebanese Association
Par Daniel Hochar, Team Leader
On November 10,2014, the Beirut Marathon sponsored by
Banque du Liban and supported by the Lebanese Ministry
of Youth and Sport kicked off under the slogan «Run for
Lebanon”. This year, the Youth of the Lebanese Association
of the Order of Malta had a special and significant presence.
Il faut avouer que maintenir sa foi et ses convictions
religieuses n’est pas chose facile de nos temps. Nos
occupations, nos obligations quotidiennes et l’acharnement
de la société contre l’Eglise et ses institutions nous poussent
parfois à remettre en question nos croyances ou de négliger
notre devoir fondamental de venir en aide à ceux qui en
ont besoin.
Volunteers and friends of the Order of Malta ran together
with the Lebanese American University of Beirut’s students
and alumni who set a record of 1,220 runners (this is the
largest number of runners of any university since the start
of the Beirut Marathon). Grateful to Mr. Thomas Abraham,
chairman and CEO of iAM Enterprises, who convinced LAU
to run for human dignity, together they ran to support the
renovation works of Al Fadi Center, Chabrouh, our handicap
friendly center that is used to host camps for the disabled.
International delegations such as the Belgium, British, Dutch,
French, and German are known to volunteer annually
to help us in our mission of providing individual love and
affection to each guest.
The Youth had a very distinctive presence thanks to our two
friends from the Caravan Team; one very tall guy measuring
more than 2 m and carrying his friend on his shoulders who
proudly carried the impressive Order of Malta flag. They
quickly became the center of attraction. Several people
requested to be photographed next to them whilst many
others used them as a point of reference for lost friends …
Du 5 au 8 Décembre 2013, j’ai eu la chance de participer
à la Retraite Spirituelle Internationale du Frère Gérard
à Rome. Entouré de 40 volontaires, Chevaliers, et hauts
responsables de l’Ordre venant de 20 pays différents,
j’étais heureux de retrouver certains amis ayant participé
aux camps de Chabrouh, et à la Caravane. Prières,
présentations, discussions et méditations étaient au
programme, le tout centré autour d’une double fonction :
La retraite permet d’abord d’approfondir sa connaissance
d l’Histoire de l’Ordre de Malte, de son organisation, de
son fonctionnement et de ses opérations partout dans le
monde. Elle permet ensuite et surtout de renforcer sa foi
et de remettre sa vie Chrétienne sur la bonne voie. Cette
retraite a véritablement rechargé mes batteries spirituelles,
chose qui ne m’arrivait jusqu’à présent qu’à Lourdes,
chaque année, durant le pèlerinage international de
l’Ordre.
Plus concrètement, je pense que cette expérience me
permettra de mieux servir nos Seigneurs les Pauvres et les
Malades puisqu’elle m’a appris à encadrer mes actions
d’une conviction, d’une humilité et d’une dévotion que
l’on ne peut qu’absorber quand on est exposé à l’Histoire
de l’Ordre et à l’ampleur de son engagement humanitaire.
Mieux encore, nous avons porté haut et fort le mérite qu’à
l’Association Libanaise et ses Jeunes dans leur action :
Bernard Dahdah a remarquablement présenté nos camps
de Chabrouh à tous les participants, et Fadi Sfeir a réussi à
charmer au moins trois personnes qui ne parlent désormais
que de leurs plans de visiter Beyrouth, voire d’envoyer leurs
enfants à Chabrouh.
Pour conclure, j’aimerais conseiller cette Retraite Spirituelle
à tout membre ou volontaire désireux d’approfondir ses liens
avec l’Ordre. Elle met parfaitement en place le recul et la
sérénité nécessaires pour renforcer sa foi et ses croyances.
A Gemmayzeh pour la bonne cause !
Les Jeunes de L’Ordre de Malte à Gemmayzeh, non
pas pour célébrer et faire la fête, mais pour activement
participer à la journée piétonne organisée par Achrafieh
2020. Merci à Jelly Belly pour son soutien, au Président de
l’association Marwan Sehanoui pour sa visite et à tous ceux
qui sont passés par notre stand en ce 1er Décembre 2013.
24 lebanese NGOs, one cause : The C h i l d r e n o f L e b a n o n !
Created and organized by Matisse Events, The «Field of Stars» was held at Zaitunay Bay from
December 1st to January 7th. It was a new and unique way of celebrating Christmas in the
spirit of solidarity and unity for one worthy cause: The Children of Lebanon.
Anyone who wished to contribute to the cause had purchased an illuminated star that was
placed at the upper deck of Zaitunay Bay.
All funds collected were distributed to 24 Non- Governmental Organizations & Charities that
help & support children among which the Youth of the Order of Malta.
Thank you to our exclusive sponsor for the fundraising event
“The Lebanese Youth Post” is designed by Mira Kaissi. This issue is printed by Aleph Printing Press
For further information, contact: Centre de l’Association Libanaise des Chevaliers de Malte, Aïn el-Remmaneh, Liban
[email protected]
www.ordredemaltaliban.org