Family News ~ The Koenigs

Bob and Phyllis Koenig ~ Here I am on the first day of 2010 wondering where 2009 went. Actually, wondering where the past 35 years have gone!

Bob and I are living in Littleton, Colorado in my family home. We moved down here from Laramie in 2000 to help my parents stay in this house and to find jobs, since Bob had lost his job of 16 years.

And here we are 10 years later! We have been married for over 34 years, raised 4 children, lived on the other side of the world in Australia for a few years, moved back, watched our daughters get married, and now have 6 grandchildren!

We attend Littleton Bible Chapel, my home church. Bob is involved in a midweek Bible study and coordinates a church service for Riverpointe, a local retirement community. This includes preaching over there at least one Sunday a month and filling in when the other speakers are out of town or ill. I develop PowerPoint presentations for the Sunday morning sermons at LBC as well as sing on the worship team. On Tuesday nights, I facilitate a ladies' Bible Study for a wonderful group of my friends and prayer warriors.

Bob is working at JPL, Inc., a landscape maintenance company as a data analyst. His favorite thing, though, is tutoring math at the local Community College. Bob continues to be a Broncos and Nuggets fan inspite of recent difficulties.

I am the Office Manager at the same company. This company is owned by a brother in Christ, whose desire is to glorify the Lord. That makes working there a joy....not to say there is never stress!  But it is great to have a group of people working as a team, focused on one goal.

We enjoy traveling down to Mesa, Arizona, every year to get out of the cold and to visit my stepmom, Julianne. Her "bed and breakfast" patio home on the golf course is a relaxing get away. We would love to travel more. Our trip to Italy in 2007 was so amazing and we'd love to get back to Australia to visit everyone there.

We also love being Papa and Nana to the grandkids. However, it is becoming quite evident that along with beautiful grandchildren and wisdom, age also brings physical challenges. Bob is working to overcome diabetes and I am struggling with severe arthritis in all my joints. I have had my left knee replaced and have been hoping that I wouldn't have to have the other one done, but.....

We would appreciate your prayers that we could "finish strong". We want to glorify the Lord and serve Him wholeheartedly. As David Jeremiah shared in his devotional, Instead of focusing on what's wrong with yourself or your circumstances, resolve to focus on God. Resolve to do one thing: Make your life the subject of gentle conversation between you and God on a daily basis. "God, I want to reflect Your glory in my life more in 2010 than in 2009. Speak to me and empower me to be con...formed, gently but surely, more into the image of Christ this year."

Be sure to check out the other postings to see updates on our kids and grandkids. Thank you.

Family News ~ Jake

Jacob Raymond Koenig ~ Well, after a year and a half of being unemployed and being very ill for over two years, we have our Jake back. We have seen the Lord's hand work in his life in a remarkable way. In October, I shared at my ladies' bible study that I was very concerned for Jake. He was very depressed and really struggling. One of the gals in the study came up to me afterward and said, "My husband and I are going back to Dubuque, Iowa in a couple weeks for a wedding. Would Jake like to go along and visit his friends there?" And so, we began to see the hand of the Lord moving in Jake's life. Jake went back to Iowa with them on October 22nd. By the 24th, he had decided to stay in Dubuque and look for a job. A friend offered to let Jake stay with him in his apartment. By the 1st of November, he had been offered a job. So he flew home, packed up his truck and drove back to Dubuque. November 16th was his first day at work at his new job. In that short time, the Lord had provided him with a place to live and a job.

Jake is working for Intuit Quickbooks as web support for Pro Advisors. It is the perfect job for Jake. He walks to work for a midday shift, and works on the computer instead of lifting heavy objects as he did in his last job. He is learning new things and enjoying this new opportunity.

Jake is now attending the Great Adventure Church in Dubuque. He is enjoying the support of his good friends. His Uncle Chuck and Aunt Cindy also live in Dubuque so he enjoys time with them as well.

"As for you (Satan), you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result." Genesis 50:20.

"You - Do you ever wonder why
Seems like the grass is always greener
Under everybody else's sky
But right here, right here for this time and place
You can live a mirror of His mercy
A forgiven image of grace.

For such a time as this
I was placed upon the earth
To hear the voice of God
And do His will
Whatever it is
For such a time as this
For now and all the days He gives
I am here, I am here
And I am His
For such a time as this

Now, all I have is now
To be faithful
To be holy
And to shine
Lighting up the darkness
Right now, I really have no choice
But to voice the truth to the nations
A generation looking for God

For such a time as this
I was placed upon the earth
To hear the voice of God
And do His will
Whatever it is
For such a time as this
For now and all the days He gives
I am here, I am here
And I am His
For such a time as this

Can't change what's happened till now
But we can change what will be
By living in holiness
That the world will see Jesus

By Wayne Watson

You can follow Jake's blog at faithfulpc.blogspot.com.

Family News ~ The Sulzles

The Sulzles ~ Our second daughter, Sharon lives in Littleton, Colorado, with her husband, Cory, and their three children. Ayden is 6 1/2 years old, Karstyn is 4 years old and Adorae is 1 year old.

Cory is the Operations Manager for a landscape maintenance company and Sharon is a stay at home mom, daycare coordinator and executive chef. Sharon has a ministry of watching kids for her friends when they need it, providing meals to help out those in stressful situations. She also loves to try new recipes and make wonderful meals on a shoestring budget. I would call Sharon the "Coupon Queen" because she has really figured out how to leave the store with a full cart of groceries and only pay a few dollars for it. She also loves to do "scrapbooking".

The Sulzle family attends Littleton Bible Chapel. Sharon teaches Sunday School and they are involved with families with young children.

Ayden may be 6, but sometimes he thinks he is 16! He loves sports of all kinds but baseball has been his passion. He loves fishing with his Dad, watching sports with his Papa and building projects at Lowes. We can no longer "spell" words in front of Ayden because he loves reading and spelling.

Karystn is the cuddlebug. His favorite thing is to stay in his pajamas and make Mommy laugh. He also has a vivid imagination and loves to dress up in costumes ~ I never know whether he will be Obi Wan Kanobi, a ninja, a cowboy or his favorite ~ a knight.

Adorae loves the sparkly shoes, purses and baby dolls but I think she will be a tomboy as well. She reminds me a lot of Sharon as a little girl ~ very independent, strong willed and possessing a great sense of humor at a very young age.

Sharon and Cory are living with us in my family home. Cory helps us with the upkeep. (What goes around comes around ~ we moved here almost 10 years ago to help my parents with the upkeep of the house.) We each have our own space as well as the advantage of communal efforts.

After a rough start with Adorae as a baby at the beginning of the year, Sharon and Cory are thankful that everyone is healthy. They are also thankful for Cory's job. Sharon does have some struggles with her neck and back (residual from a car accident four years ago) and would appreciate your prayers.

Joel Koenig ~ In Loving Memory (June 16, 1979 ~ October 20, 2001)

Joel Michael Koenig ~ This year, Joel would have been 30 years old. It was very emotional to think that he would have been married, had children and been a mature adult.

We miss you, Joel. You would have loved your nephews and nieces. Little kids loved Joel and he loved them. He was "The Gentle Giant".

Dealing with his death has brought new life ~ not only did some of his friends and our son-in-law come to the Lord, but Bob and I learned the reality of proclaiming that God is sovereign. We learned the reality of proclaiming that He formed us, He knows us and He loves us. We learned the reality of proclaiming that "all things work together for good to those that know God, to those that are called according to His purpose."

It has been 8 years since he went to be with the Lord and tears still come to my eyes when I think of him. I miss him so much. But I can now say, "Thank you, Lord even for this. I'm sorry that I held onto my anger towards You for so long. I love You. You are my Lord and my God"