Dear Abdelfattah

The content of your letter has proved my expectation and what I thought you are. Of course I knew your late father. He was handsome but not a show off, humble and likeable. My father used to like him a lot and my mother was a good friends of your folks. I know exactly where your house was next to Abou Akrama the famous "dama" player and Abou Hussain the story teller. Your father was every body friend. A good story came to me about him and Khoury Elminiah. The Abou Bader's bus used to leave Bazbina early in the morning and pick up peoples all the way untill Tripoli. Your father was on the bus sitting next to Khoury Bazbina Abouna Michael (abou Alif's dad, a neibour of your falks). As usual your father was picking on Abouna Michael who was naif and very simple. They were argueing about the fee the priests receive from the deceased family without any guarranty if the deceased goes to Haven or not. Your father was argueing on behalf of the families who suffer twice:

(1)     for the loss of a loved one

(2)     for the loss of the fee they have

to pay the priests for praying but without offering the required guarranty after death and judjement day and if God decides that the deceased deserves hell and God didn't want to accept the priests prayers. At the point of the heated discussion, the bus arrived to Elminiah and picked up the priest there. This priest was very tough and funny. Abouna Michael seeing that he is losing the argument to your dad, felt that maybe Khoury Elminiah might be able to help to reply to your father arguement. Well, it was a simple matter the Elminiah Abouna told your father. When you dies I will pray for your

salvation and will charge your family double since you are muslim. Now if God receives you in his Haven I will keep the money and if not inform your family and I will make sure I will retun them the money. By the way this is my uncle Khoury Ibrahim story about your dad. I don't know if you ever heard about this story.

The following is the 1999 letter I think it will inform you about us. Mywife is colombian and we have been married for 33 years. Suria is 31, graduated from UC Davis and working for Starbucks in the international business development in Seattle,Washington. Jasmina is 29, graduated from

California State University of SF and is an office manager for an international management firm A. T. Kearney in San Jose, California. Javier is 24, graduated from UC Berkeley and working as a distributor sales rep for Westover Scientific in Seattle. Laila is 23 and in her last year in college at the University of Washington Seattle. Myself I have been working for Bechtel since 1969 off and on for 25 years. I will be getting the Rolex for the 25 year service award in coming March. I am including their electronic

addresses as well as mine in my house if you would like to correspond with us. Also included the electronic addresses of Manuel Hazim and Ziad Nassar, Paul Nassar' son.

Best regards to you, your wife and children, and grand. 

Hassan I. El-Bietar

Principal Project Controls Engineer

Cd. del Carmen

52 (938) 2-39-08 x183

52 (938) 2-39-08 x142 Fax