During the end of 2008 and start of 2009 the villagers of Russian Mission knew that two of our elders were not well, but still their passing was a bit of a shock to me. Our Christmas "Slavic" celebration was in progress when on January 10th Norman Housler Sr. passed away. A great example of Christian piety and faith, a gentle man who did so much for our village during his years, greatly loved by many. We will miss him greatly. The day after his funeral we lost Sarah Askoak, a former chior leader and member of the sisterhood of the church. Norman was my mother's uncle, Sarah her aunt. To make matters worse some younger villagers spent the time during our holiday drinking. Hopefully our situations here will improve.
During this time of saddness I forgot my registration. Hopefully I will be able to do something later on to get back on track with my educational goals. Until then I have my children, my grandchild and my grandparents to think of... Keep me and my little village in your prayers and I pray that your 2009, your family friends and communities are safe, healthy and all things positive.
