GOD TRANSFORMED A SHY, BROKEN ORPHAN BOY, LIVING IN FEAR, INTO AN ADULT DESTINED FOR A LIFE OF VISION, PURPOSE, AND HOPE.
Steve Holt grew up in an orphanage and believes his talents serve a greater purpose: to ease the burdens of struggling kids and raise funds for those called to support orphanages nationwide. He travels across the country as a Keynote Speaker at Fundraising Luncheons and Dinners.
Steve Holt always knew God was at work in his life. He surrendered his heart to the Lord in 1968 and rededicated his life in 1990. Steve learned that his birth name, Steven meant, "Crowned One" and to him, meant, he was a King's Kid and a Child of God. His Heavenly father had a destiny and a plan for Steve that he did not always understand, but, he fully trusts in that leading even today. Life in, and after the orphanage changed him big time when his Youth Leaders , Sue and Wally took Steve and his older sister JoAnn, teenagers at the time, into their home in the summer of 1973. These amazing, pioneering, foster parents, he now calls Mom and Dad, are his heroes. They taught Steve much about life and showbusiness prior to him taking various jobs as an Entertainer. In his 20's, he performed on cruise ships, in London England, did a tour with the International All-Star Circus and Tommy Scott's Last Real Medicine Show. He even founded his own company, White Dove Productions, in which he toured 12 years with his stage illusion show, the Miracles of Magic Show, doing four shows a week in various auditoriums and theaters throughout America. As he began to semi-retire, his foster parents legally adopted Steve when he was 59 years old.
Churches and Ministries nation-wide invite Steve to, not only entertain, but to share his story and the gospel in a compelling way using Bible teachings, stories, his testimony and his God-given talents. Steve's ministry presentation illustrates how broken people can find love in the midst of confusion. ALL THINGS are POSSIBLE because of Jesus' sacrifice for us. We are blessed, encouraged, healed and delivered from our sinful behaviors by the power of love and forgiveness
"For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; BUT if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."
( Romans 8:13 & 14 )
Tender beginnings...THE ORPHANAGE
Steve's birth parents faced overwhelming challenges, leaving them unable to care for him and his siblings. At age six, in 1966, he found refuge at the Open Door Children's Home for seven years, diving into books about puppetry, magic, and the Bible. Churches and civic organizations invested in nurturing Steve and the others. While some friends thrived, others struggled. Steve saw his time there as a valuable chance to create a better life, absorbing lessons and experiences during those years.
A HOPE and a future... foster care
"What a gift it was to have Steve and his sister JoAnn join our family. Wally and I were convinced of the rightness of it all because of an unusual occurrence. I was sitting in choir and while watching their faces during a prayer (they were a part of our youth group), I had the strong feeling that we should bring them into our home. Wally, on his way home from a Boy Scout camping trip, had the same feeling about the same time. That settled it and we contacted Family and Children Services to begin the process of becoming foster parents.
At first, things were easy. We were all so eager to make it work…and for the most part it did. One of the hardest things for us to realize was that both kids had had an experience radically different from what we had. However, we were the adults, and we set about introducing them to family life lovingly, but firmly. Daily family chores were a surprise (I hear Steve is still the one responsible for taking the garbage out…a lifetime job!). Out of a growing love, we all learned to consider each other’s needs and opinions. As families do, there were disagreements and we learned how to work through them. We were guided by Mrs. Lovourn, to whom we gave the title “Wisest Caseworker Ever”. She often gave Wally and me on-the-job consultations on how to be parents of teenagers and always insisted that what was happening was entirely normal. We tried to honor the fact that their dad was still alive and still their dad, and yet we became very attached to the two who seemed to be part of our family.
A particularly touching time occurred when David was born. Steve was mesmerized. He would come home and ask to hold Baby David. The two of them would sit quietly contemplating each other. I think Dave internalized Steve’s calmness and gentleness and shows those qualities today. He had a big brother to follow.
Another learning experience for me came when JoAnn had been ironing her clothes. I asked her to keep the ironing board up so I could iron the rest of the family’s clothes. JoAnn wanted to know why Steve, who was a year younger, didn’t have to iron his clothes. It was a good question. From that day on, Steve had to iron his own clothes.
When Steve and his friend Wayne began to work on magic, I was always thrilled to watch Steve, who was standing in front of a mirror to practice sleight of hand tricks. Even though I was watching from the back, he continues to mystify me with his table magic. When he wanted to put doves in his act, I helped him sew pockets in his coat in exchange for the fact that he had to be the one to keep them healthy, fed, and clean. There never was a problem and we became used to the gentle cooing coming from his room.
As time went on, the two boys decided they needed latex rubber masks that fit over their heads for their shows. The three of us made a trip to Atlanta to get them at a special store. On the road home, they put the masks on and would collapse in laughter when a passerby would do a double take when they saw the monsters in my car. To further encourage their growing friendship and collaboration, my husband Wally helped the boys build a miniature circus wagon so the two boys could deliver puppet shows to an integrated summer camp. I still remember the vivid designs they put on the wagon.
We’re proud of both kids. JoAnn, although troubled, went on to carve out a life for herself until her mental issues became overwhelming. Until then, I often thought of her as a survivor. Steve went on to pursue his dream of being an entertainer by going on the road with a traveling troop of people. We felt we had learned a lot more about parenting and continued to raise the two remaining ones. We are so proud of the good Steve has continued to do for the world and hope that our home gave him a launching pad for a happy life of fulfillment and satisfaction and love." -Susan & Walter Watts, parents
Steve has realized, during his 55 years in the entertainment business, that he has always been driven by a desire to serve others and be an encouraging beacon of light and hope for his audiences and those he closely associates with.
