David & Kylie Knight - ILLUSIONS

When David Knight was growing up, he couldn’t have imagined that a book report would change the course of his life, influencing every part of it—his career, his future life partner, and his faith. It led to him living his dream of a career in magic, developing a firm faith in Jesus, and marrying a beautiful woman named Kylie. At the age of 12, David received a school assignment to write a report on a book about Harry Houdini. He was told he would get extra points for dressing up as the character in his book when he presented the report. “I was all about extra credit, so I thought I’d go the extra mile. I decided to learn how to escape from handcuffs so I could perform while delivering my report,” he says. Delighted with the response he received, he decided he was going to be a magician. “Houdini was certainly my inspiration for a career in magic. So, the idea of being an escape artist and doing some of the things Houdini did influenced my early days. And I grew up in the time when Copperfield was huge. To this day, I still love his approach to magic as an art form—the way he combines theater, music and lighting, dance, scripting and all of that to make a really powerful piece.” “When I was about 19, I saw illusionists/evangelist André Kole perform his show and, at it, I prayed to receive Christ. After the show, I got to talk to his team. They were all magicians at the time, and I said, ‘Wow, what a great opportunity you have to travel with André and be a part of the show!’ And they're like, ‘Well, we have a position that's opening up.’ That was all the encouragement David needed. He joined André’s show and began to live his dream of working in the magic industry. As he continued to develop his magic and his faith, David had no idea that another life-altering moment was just around the corner... Kylie was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. A member of a strong Christian family, the church was part of her childhood. “I remember giving my life to Christ at a young age, probably around eight or so. However, I didn’t ‘own’ my faith until I made a commitment at a Youth for Christ rally,” she says. After moving to Brisbane, Australia with her family, Kylie decided to take an extended trip. “My plan was to visit America for about a year and then head back to Australia and settle down,” she says. “Apparently, God had other plans.” She arrived in Colorado and began attending Mission Hills Church, going to the same Bible study group as David. “But because of our travel schedules, we didn't end up meeting for several months.” “That’s right,” says David, “but one day she walked in and that was it for me! We started talking that night and, within three weeks, we were engaged, we married about a year later and here we are with 20 years of marriage under our belts!” “Houdini was certainly my inspiration for a career in magic. So, the idea of being an escape artist and doing some of the things Houdini did influence my early days. And I grew up in the time when Copperfield was huge. To this day, I still love his approach to magic as an art form—the way he combines theater, music and lighting, dance, scripting and all of that to make a really powerful piece.” Determined to make it in the industry, they were fortunate to get work as the production crew for illusionist husband-and-wife team Kevin and Cindy Spencer. The Spencers and their Theatre of Illusion toured for more than 25 years, receiving accolades such as International Illusionists of the Year in 2009, International Magicians of the Year in 2015, and were Performing Arts Entertainers of the Year six times. Their time with the Spencers gave them a firm base on which to establish themselves as illusionists. “We traveled in a 65-foot semi carrying tons of equipment and performing in beautiful theaters, performing arts centers and civic centers all around the world,” says Kylie. “We were able to learn the ins and outs of touring, even down to simple things like how to stand on stage, how to be organized and deliver an amazing show every time we perform. Their dedication to excellence was phenomenal—the timing of everything. We would watch rehearsal videos with them and compare it to show videos. They would hit the exact same spot at the exact same moment every time!” Kylie also learned how important her role was. “As Cindy was the partner to Kevin, I am the partner to David. I learned from her to master the small moments. You might not think it’s important to know the exact moment to head out on stage to take or retrieve a prop, but she taught me about the significance of my actions and how all my motions need to be the same every time. Not only does that make the show better, but it gives David more confidence knowing that things will be in place when they need to be.” After spending seven years with the Spencers, David & Kylie felt He was calling them to step out on their own and to work with churches. “We moved out to Dallas fully believing that God was calling us to this and He was going to make it happen and trusting in Him,” says Kylie. Another key moment was when they shifted to deliver a message with their show. “You see, my thought was just to bring high-quality entertainment to churches,” says David. “However, that was really hard to sell. I knew that I didn’t just want to copy André’s approach with a traditional invitational Gospel message. I loved how The Spencers ended their show with an inspirational message. I just didn’t know what our other options were.” As it turned out, that other option would be discovered by Kylie and influenced by their pastor, David Wahlstedt. “We had pondered for years how to end our show and I knew that God wanted us to deliver a message,” says Kylie. “One day at church, our pastor delivered a sermon about our value and uniqueness as beings created imago Dei - in the image of God. In that sermon, he talked about no two snowflakes being alike and David and I looked at each other and knew this could be just the approach we needed!” Kylie went home and immediately began working on a script. David started to edit music and their finale was born. Now, it is one of their most beloved effects and it changed the trajectory of their ministry. “It is amazing how this message transformed everything we do and the impact it has had on people’s lives everywhere we go,” says David. “We have had people come up to us after the show crying and telling us how our presentation helped them to realize their God-given value,” says Kylie. “I was humbled when a teenage girl pulled me aside, handed me the razor blades she had been cutting herself with and said, ‘Thanks to you, I don’t need these anymore.’ That is the power of God at work!” Now, they perform all over the States and have also worked overseas, including several visits to Australia. They have covered thousands of miles and helped churches and ministries all around the world reach their communities with the love of God. Not only that, but they have included a practical side to their ministry. “We are Global Ambassadors for Uganda Shoe Trees (UST),” says David. “It is a non-profit that we have been working on for several years with our pastor and we’re excited about what it’s doing to help fight poverty in rural Uganda.” “The program is close to our hearts,” says Kylie. “Did you know that there are millions of children in Uganda who could go to school but are not allowed simply because they can’t afford the appropriate socks and shoes? UST seeks to put an end to that by teaming up with entrepreneurial educators to set aside a percentage of their enrollment for needy children. Then we purchase socks and shoes for the children so they can attend.” “But not just any shoes,” adds David. “We train local Ugandans to become cobblers. We help them to set up businesses and purchase the shoes from them. We are investing in their economy in order to help them help themselves.” Each child also gets two fruit-bearing trees. One is planted on their school’s property to help improve the nutritional value of the school’s lunches, the other goes to the child’s home to feed their family. So not only do the children get an education and food, they also learn about creation care and conservation. “It is truly a remarkable program and it only costs $20 to help a child,” says David. “We are so excited about this program that we have developed several routines to highlight the need in our show and direct people to donate money at our merchandise table. We don’t touch a dime of it. It all goes straight to UST.”