BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

“I just wanted it over. I remember being a kid at the swimming pool. The lifeguard would blow a whistle to get you out of the pool. I wanted God to blow the whistle on me and get me out of life. I thought Cindy would be better off without me. In my heart I knew that wasn’t true, but at times it seemed that way.” The only thing they knew to do was to trust God and stand on the Word. Instead of backing off, they increased their giving and gave to more ministries. They gave more money that year than they’d given their whole married lives. Yet the strain on their finances put a strain on the relationship. “I felt so alone!” Cindy says. “At work I was all smiles and people often asked, ‘How’s Steve?’ Inside I wanted to weep because no one ever asked how I was doing. The one thing that kept me going was the assurance that no matter how alone I felt, Kenneth, Gloria and their staff were praying for us daily. “I still recall one day when we got a Partner Letter from KCM because I wept over the last line. I’ll never forget it. It said, ‘Remember, Gloria and I love you.’ I wasn’t alone.” Darkest Before the Dawn By early 2006, Steve had been out of a job for almost a year and a half. Arriving home from work late one evening, Cindy asked Steve to do something for one of the kids. His eyes brimmed with tears. “I always knew you were a better mom than me,” he said. “But now I know that you’re a better man than me.” His pain was palpable. The house was quiet, everyone asleep, when around midnight Steve pulled on his clothes and slipped outside. Midnight walks had become his norm. He’d walked three miles when a thought occurred to him: 'I can just keep going.' Lying on a park bench, Steve stared at the stars and pondered the idea. 'I need to leave.' He could just keep walking. “Lord, I need to leave,” Steve prayed, waiting for an answer. Silence. He waited until 4 a.m. before sitting up with a sigh. Although he hadn’t heard anything, God’s message was clear. “OK, I’ll just continue to trust You.” God didn’t want him to walk away. He wanted him to walk in faith. World Vision Six months later, Steve was offered a job. It was the job of his dreams—one worth the wait. “I was hired by Convoy of Hope,” Steve explains. “We’re a first-responder organization that provides resources and help for victims of disaster worldwide. As the agency service director, I was deployed to Samoa after the tsunami struck in 2009. We were one of the first humanitarian aid groups to distribute food in Haiti after the 7.0 earthquake destroyed that nation in 2010. We took water purification systems to the Philippines. We went to Joplin after the tornado hit there, to the California wildfires and to Oklahoma when an EF5 tornado hit Moore.” Steve acts as the liaison with state and national organizations such as FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, Samaritan’s Purse, Operation Blessing and the National Voluntary Organizations Acting in Disaster. Representing National VOAD, Steve testified before Congress in 2009. May 16, 2013, Steve celebrated seven years with Convoy of Hope. When he arrives on the scene of a disaster, his peaceful presence is a comfort, and his own story an encouragement. Today, Steve and Cindy Irwin, along with their sons, Logan and Nathan, are thriving. In addition to buying a new home during the economic downturn, they prospered more than at any time in their lives. V ********ADVERTISEMENT********* “Back in the dark ages, knights often stood back to back in battle. Today, I know God is my Source, and as Partners, come what may—KCM has my back.” —Steve Partner with KCM today, and never go without prayer. We’ve Got Your Back! Call us for information on how you can become a Partner. 1-800-600-7395 (U.S. only) +1-817-852-6000 ************************************** DEC '13 : BVOV : 27

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