I have met the dear friend Toufic Labaki in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, more than forty years ago. A deep-rooted friendship grew between us; it is a friendship of which I am proud and which I praise. I have closely followed his many interests and activities aimed at establishing connections between the Baabdati immigrants in Argentina and the residents of Baabdat. Despite the difficulties, hardships and high costs of the mission, Toufic has managed to gather immigrants with their families on several occasions and in various cities.

I attended a meeting in which Toufic depicted an elaborate explanation of his objectives and backed them with Baabdat accurate photos, maps and family trees dating back to hundreds of years. He described to attendees the reasons behind their ancestors' emigration under the oppressive Turkish ruling, under that era which had inflicted famine, torture, tyranny, murder and persecution on the people, and left them with no other choice but to abandon their families and opt for emigration. He stressed the dangers and hardships that stood in their ways as they emigrated by sea, and especially as they reached their destinations.

The meeting culminated when Toufic offered each person a small plastic bag containing a soil sample from Baabdat, the village of the ancestors. Attendees were asked to observe a moment of silence in honor for the souls of their ancestors with the intention of placing, ultimately, the soil samples on their graves, on the graves of those heroic ancestors who left Baabdat hoping that they would return to its embrace some day and plant a kiss on its ground. However, the difficult circumstances had different plans for them...and by placing the samples on their graves, Baabdat soil would have crossed the distance and finally met them even after decades.

It was a mere gesture to prove, once again, that nostalgia stays loyal to the very first home. At that point of the meeting, tears and emotions spoke for a million words, and hugs seemed to last forever as the bond between Baabdat residents and their expatriate brothers and sisters resurfaced...

I can undeniably confirm, through my long experience, that the Lebanese emigration has never witnessed, since its beginnings in the middle of the 19^th century until now, such a person who has carried out a similar scientific and emotional mission in an effort to reunite Lebanese residents and immigrants! It definitely is a precedent to be added to my friend Toufic's endless list of accomplishments and works.

His activism in this field went even beyond Baabdat emigrants to cover the Lebanese emigration as a whole. Thanks to his connections with influential people including politicians, judges and activists of Baabdati origins, he launched the idea of establishing a street named after the "Republic of Lebanon" in each and every Argentinean city. The idea was very well received and it began with the first "Republic of Lebanon" street in Rio Gallegos city, capital of southern Santa Cruz province, on 05/12/2011. Attempts and efforts by some activists who are striving to implement the idea from one city to the other are underway.

Toufic tackled the emigration in Baabdat from a comprehensive perspective and addressed messages of affection to descendants of Baabdat via Lebanese diplomatic delegations, clubs, social entities and churches in foreign countries or through email, mail and direct calls.

Toufic had previously shared with me his wish to publish a documented book on the history of the Baabdati emigration, but luckily, modern technology offered a hand and he launched a website, baabdat.com, which turned out to be more effective in terms of rapidity and easiness in communication and update.

The love of Baabdat was transferred from father to son, from Toufic to Ramez. They completed each other so that the idea of the father could be translated with the modernity of the son's vision, he who is responsible for the coordination, planning and programming of the website so that it would reach the whole world in the finest appearance worthy of Baabdat and its families in Lebanon and abroad.

If you asked me about the motives and reasons that made these two determined honorable pioneers  embark on such a long journey, I would simply and spontaneously say that it was all out of love and devotion for our brothers and sisters from Baabdat, be they residents or expatriates, and for our beloved Lebanon.

My dear brother and friend Toufic, I am proud to be part of your life and to witness your integrity and dedication to Baabdat and Lebanon, and I pray the Lord to bless you and give you the strength to follow your work and contributions through, and to fulfill more and more accomplishments...for you are among those who have lit a candle while others are cursing the darkness...

Father Boulos Antonios Nassif

Forty years in the service of the Maronite Mission in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina.

January 2012