German Parliamentary Delegation in JLSS
The German Parliamentary Delegation visiting Lebanon from the 15th to
the 18th of February 2012 visited our school on Friday the 17th. The
delegation was escorted by the First Secretary, Head of Culture,
Press, and Protocol Sections of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of
Germany in Beirut, Sebastian Damm.
The delegation consisted of:
Joachim
Hörster, MdB (CDU/CSU),
chairman of
the parliamentary group and head of the delegation;
Heidrun Bluhm, MdB
(DIE LINKE.), deputy chairman of the parliamentary group;
Johannes Singhammer, MdB
(CDU/CSU); Andreas Lämmel, MdB (CDU/CSU); Michael Hennrich,
MdB (CDU/CSU); Marlene Rupprecht, MdB (SPD); and Mechthild Rawert, MdB
(SPD) members of the parliamentary delegation;
Cordula Klinger, member of the administration of the German
Parliament and secretary of the parliamentary group;
Gert Himmler, translator.
The
weather was very bad so the delegation cancelled its planned visit to
Anjar and headed straight to Schneller School arriving around 12.30 PM.
They were welcomed by the director of JLSS, Rev. George D. Haddad, with
whom the delegation met to hear about Schneller School, its mission to
needy children through its partnership with and support from Germany,
its challenges and future plans, and the situation in Lebanon.
The delegation was invited for lunch with the director to which JLSS
German co-workers and volunteers were also invited.
The delegation left JLSS right after lunch in very bad weather and just
barely made it back to Beirut before the Dahr El-Beidar road was closed
because of very heavy snowfall on that day.
We thank the chairman of the German parliamentary delegation, all its
members, and the First Secretary of the German Embassy in Beirut for
their wonderful visit. We especially thank them for taking the time and
trouble on that day of very bad weather to visit our school. We also
express, to them and through them, our most sincere gratitude to the
German people and churches, for our common mission to needy children,
our partnership, and the wonderful support we receive from Germany
without which we would not be able to fulfill and develop our mission to
needy children.
Key to Abbreviations:
MdB: Member of the Lower House of the German Parliament
CDU: Christian Democratic Union
CSU: Christian Social Union
DIE LINKE: The Left
SPD: Social Democratic Party