Erika Kirk's Love Story With Charlie & What's Next for Turning Point USA

[00:00] Heat.

[00:01] [Music]

[00:17] Heat.

[00:20] [Applause]

[00:33] [Applause]

[00:35] Heat. Heat.

[00:37] [Applause]

[01:02] [Applause]

[01:20] Hello.

[01:23] God bless all of you

[01:26] for coming here from all over the world

[01:30] to honor and celebrate my Charlie.

[01:47] Just a few miles from here,

[01:50] two years ago at America Fest 2023,

[01:55] Charlie delivered a speech on stage for

[01:58] our TPUSA faith event.

[02:02] Charlie loves speaking off the cuff. He

[02:05] was very good at that without a script.

[02:08] So I personally didn't know what he was

[02:11] going to say.

[02:14] And what he chose to speak about that

[02:16] day was his his submission

[02:19] to the will of God.

[02:22] He quoted one of his favorite Bible

[02:24] verses, Isaiah 6:8.

[02:27] Here I am, Lord.

[02:32] Send me.

[02:36] After Charlie finished, I met him

[02:38] backstage

[02:39] and I spoke to him and I'll never forget

[02:41] this. I said, "Charlie, baby,

[02:45] please talk to me next time before you

[02:47] say that statement."

[02:51] Because when you say something like

[02:52] that,

[02:54] there is so much power in that verse.

[02:59] When you say, "Here I am, Lord, use me."

[03:06] God will take you up on that.

[03:09] And he did with Charlie.

[03:15] [Applause]

[03:26] 11 days ago,

[03:28] God accepted that total surrender from

[03:30] my husband

[03:32] and then called him to his side.

[03:36] More than anything, Charlie wanted to do

[03:39] not his will, but God's will.

[03:42] And over these past 11 days,

[03:46] through all the pain,

[03:49] never before have I found as much

[03:51] comfort

[03:53] as I now do in the words of our Lord's

[03:56] Prayer.

[03:58] Thy will be done.

[04:05] [Applause]

[04:13] God's love was revealed to me on the

[04:15] very day my husband was murdered.

[04:20] On the afternoon of September 10th, I

[04:23] arrived at a Utah hospital to do the

[04:26] unthinkable,

[04:27] to look directly

[04:30] at my husband's murdered body.

[04:34] I saw the wound that ended his life.

[04:39] I felt everything you would expect to

[04:42] feel.

[04:44] I felt shock.

[04:47] I felt horror

[04:49] and a level of heartache

[04:54] that I didn't even know existed.

[04:59] But there was something else, too.

[05:04] Even in death, I could see the man that

[05:06] I love.

[05:11] I saw the one single gray hair

[05:16] on the side of his head, which I never

[05:19] told him about.

[05:21] Now he knows. Sorry, baby. Telling you

[05:23] now, but never told him. Didn't want to.

[05:30] I also saw this

[05:33] I also saw on his lips

[05:36] the faintest smile

[05:40] and that told me something important.

[05:45] It revealed to me a great mercy from God

[05:48] in this tragedy.

[05:51] When I saw that, it told me

[05:55] Charlie didn't suffer.

[05:58] Even the doctor told me

[06:01] it was something so instant that even

[06:04] even if Charlie had been shot in the

[06:06] operating room it itself,

[06:09] nothing could have been done.

[06:12] There was no fame.

[06:14] There was no fear,

[06:17] no agony. One moment, Charlie was doing

[06:19] what he loved,

[06:21] arguing and debating on campus,

[06:25] fighting for the gospel

[06:28] and truth

[06:31] in front of a big crowd.

[06:34] And then he blinked.

[06:37] He blinked

[06:39] and saw his savior in paradise.

[06:55] and all the heavenly mysteries were

[06:57] revealed to him.

[07:01] God's love

[07:03] continued to be revealed to me in the

[07:05] days that followed.

[07:09] The next day on the tarmac

[07:12] in Air Force 2,

[07:16] I confronted Usha Vance.

[07:19] Precious woman.

[07:23] I held her hand and I told her honestly,

[07:25] I do not know how I am going to get

[07:29] through this.

[07:32] She told me something.

[07:36] She said,

[07:39] "You know when you're on an airplane

[07:41] with your kids and it's the last 15

[07:44] minutes of the flight and things are

[07:47] crazy. Kids are not cooperating, toys

[07:49] are flying everywhere, and everyone's

[07:51] screaming."

[07:52] And you think to yourself, "I cannot

[07:54] wait for this flight to land."

[07:57] And it's 15 minutes before you land.

[08:03] And she told me, "You will get through

[08:05] these 15 minutes

[08:08] and the next 15 minutes after that,

[08:12] USA, I don't think you realized it then,

[08:16] but those words were exactly what I

[08:18] needed to hear.

[08:21] But most of all, God's mercy and God's

[08:24] love have been real revealed to me these

[08:26] past 10 days.

[08:28] After Charlie's assassination, we didn't

[08:31] see violence.

[08:34] We didn't see rioting.

[08:37] [Applause]

[08:49] We didn't see revolution.

[08:53] Instead, we saw what my husband always

[08:55] prayed he would see in this country. We

[08:58] saw revival.

[09:14] This past week, we saw people open a

[09:16] Bible for the first time in a decade.

[09:19] We saw people pray for the first time

[09:21] since they were children.

[09:24] We saw people go to a church service for

[09:26] the first time in their entire lives.

[09:40] Charlie liked to journal.

[09:43] And I say this because he did it to

[09:46] remember important moments and sayings

[09:47] that affected him.

[09:50] And one of the things he wrote in his

[09:52] journal was this.

[09:58] Every time you make a decision,

[10:01] it puts a mark on your soul.

[10:06] To those of you

[10:09] out there who just made that decision

[10:13] and took the first step toward a

[10:15] spiritual life,

[10:17] I say thank you and welcome.

[10:22] [Applause]

[10:29] One day, I hope you look back and

[10:32] realize it was the most important

[10:33] decision of your life because it is.

[10:39] All of you,

[10:43] all of you who are already believers, it

[10:45] is your job to shepherd these people.

[10:49] Do not take that lightly.

[10:52] Water the seed of their faith.

[10:56] Protect it and help it grow.

[11:02] Every day as Charlie rode into the

[11:04] office,

[11:06] he would go through his contact list,

[11:09] and I know there's many of you who were

[11:11] impacted by this. He would go through

[11:13] his contact list and send Bible verses

[11:16] for the day.

[11:18] He knew that faith was a habit.

[11:22] The more you live it, the more it grows.

[11:26] But know this, too.

[11:29] The seed has only just been planted.

[11:34] The enemy will tempt you

[11:37] the most in a time like this one.

[11:40] God will always be there for you, but

[11:42] you must choose to mark your soul

[11:46] again and again in the direction of

[11:50] Christ.

[11:53] [Applause]

[12:00] Pray again, read the Bible again, go to

[12:04] church next Sunday and the Sunday after

[12:07] that, and break free from the

[12:10] temptations and shackles of this world,

[12:15] [Applause]

[12:22] being a follower of Christ is not easy.

[12:26] It's not supposed to be.

[12:29] Jesus said, "If anyone would come after

[12:32] me, let him deny himself, take up his

[12:35] cross, and follow me."

[12:39] He said he would be persecuted. He said

[12:41] we would be persecuted. And Charlie knew

[12:44] that and happily carried his cross all

[12:46] the way to the end.

[12:50] And I want all of you to know

[12:54] while Charlie died far too early,

[12:58] he was also ready to die.

[13:02] There was nothing nothing he was putting

[13:05] off. There was nothing that was too hard

[13:07] or too painful or nothing that he just

[13:11] felt like he didn't want to do it.

[13:15] He left this world without regrets.

[13:19] He did 100% of what he could every day.

[13:24] But I want you to know something.

[13:28] Charlie died with incomplete work,

[13:32] but not with unfinished business.

[13:37] [Applause]

[13:46] But I will miss him.

[13:51] I will miss him so much because our

[13:54] marriage and our family were beautiful.

[13:57] They still are.

[14:07] The greatest cause in Charlie's life was

[14:09] trying to revive the American family.

[14:13] When he spoke to young people, he was

[14:15] always eager to tell them about God's

[14:17] vision for marriage

[14:20] and how if they could just dare to live

[14:22] it out,

[14:24] it would enrich every part of their life

[14:27] in the same way that it enriched ours.

[14:31] And someone once asked me how Charlie

[14:34] and I

[14:36] how we kept our marriage so strong when

[14:39] he was busy traveling.

[14:44] In our little secret,

[14:47] it was love notes.

[14:52] Every Saturday,

[14:54] Charlie wrote one for me and he never

[14:56] missed a Saturday.

[15:00] And in every single one of them, he'd

[15:03] tell me what his highlight was for the

[15:05] week,

[15:07] how grateful he was for me and our

[15:09] babies.

[15:11] And always at the end, he would always

[15:14] end it with asking the most beautiful

[15:18] question.

[15:21] He'd always end it by asking, "Please

[15:23] let me know how I can better serve you

[15:25] as a husband,

[15:29] Charlie." perfectly understood

[15:32] God's role for a Christian husband.

[15:36] A man who leads

[15:39] so that they can serve

[15:45] [Applause]

[15:55] to all the men watching around the

[15:57] world.

[15:59] Accept Charlie's challenge

[16:02] and embrace true manhood.

[16:07] Be strong and courageous for your

[16:09] families.

[16:14] Love your wives and lead them.

[16:19] Love your children and protect them.

[16:23] Be the spiritual head

[16:26] of your home.

[16:30] But please be a leader worth following.

[16:34] Your wife,

[16:44] your wife is not your servant.

[16:48] Your wife is not your employee.

[16:52] Your wife is not your slave.

[16:56] She is your helper.

[16:59] You are not rivals.

[17:02] You are one flesh working together for

[17:04] the glory of God.

[17:07] [Applause]

[17:19] I was Charlie's confidant.

[17:23] I was his vault.

[17:26] his closest and most trusted advisor,

[17:28] his best friend.

[17:32] I poured into him and loved him so

[17:34] deeply,

[17:35] empowered him

[17:38] because his love for me drove me to be a

[17:40] better wife.

[17:43] Every day he honored me and I prayed

[17:45] that I could be the wife that God needed

[17:47] me to be for my husband.

[17:51] Women, I have a challenge for you, too.

[17:55] Be virtuous.

[17:59] Our strength is found in God's design

[18:01] for our role.

[18:04] We are the guardians.

[18:06] We are the encouraers.

[18:09] We are the preservers.

[18:13] Guard your heart.

[18:15] Everything you do flows from it.

[18:19] And if you're a mother, please recognize

[18:23] that is the single

[18:25] most important ministry you have

[18:30] [Applause]

[18:38] in our home.

[18:41] Because Charlie traveled a lot, we tried

[18:42] to travel with him where we could.

[18:46] But I made sure that when Charlie

[18:48] returned from work,

[18:50] it was his sacred landing place,

[18:54] away from the worries of the world.

[19:01] I didn't make him feel guilty

[19:04] for being away too long or too much

[19:09] or getting home too late. I always told

[19:11] him, "Home home is here for you and

[19:13] it'll be ready for you."

[19:16] And I made it into this place where he

[19:18] wanted to be as soon as possible when he

[19:22] was on the road.

[19:26] There was no keeping score between us.

[19:31] We were a team

[19:34] working together for the same mission.

[19:38] I never wanted to be the one standing

[19:40] between Charlie and the task that God

[19:44] prepared for him

[19:47] had set for him.

[19:49] And I knew Charlie would always do his

[19:51] best to help me with the same.

[19:56] My marriage with Charlie was the best

[19:58] thing that ever happened to me. And I

[20:00] know it was the best thing that ever

[20:01] happened to him as well.

[20:04] He wanted everyone to experience that

[20:06] joy.

[20:08] And that's what's so beautiful about

[20:12] God's design for marriage is that

[20:13] everyone can.

[20:17] And I could talk endlessly about it in

[20:19] years to come I will.

[20:22] But Charlie's mission above all

[20:26] was aimed directly at those who aren't

[20:29] married.

[20:31] He named his organization well.

[20:34] He knew things were not right with

[20:36] America and especially with young people

[20:39] and they needed a new direction.

[20:43] Charlie passionately

[20:46] wanted to reach and save the lost boys

[20:48] of the West.

[20:51] The young men who feel like they have no

[20:53] direction,

[20:54] no purpose, no faith, and no reason to

[20:57] live.

[21:00] the men wasting their lives on

[21:01] distractions and the men consumed with

[21:04] resentment, anger, and hate.

[21:08] Charlie wanted to help them.

[21:12] He wanted them to have a home with

[21:14] Turning Point USA. And when he went onto

[21:17] campus, he was looking to show them a

[21:20] better path

[21:22] and a better life that was right there

[21:25] for the taking.

[21:27] He wanted to show them that

[21:34] my husband Charlie,

[21:38] he wanted to save

[21:42] young men

[21:45] just like the one who took his life.

[21:51] [Applause]

[22:05] That young man,

[22:08] that young man

[22:11] on the cross, our savior said,

[22:17] "Father, forgive them for they not know

[22:21] what They do.

[22:25] That man

[22:28] that young man,

[22:33] I forgive him.

[22:36] [Applause]

[23:21] I forgive him because it was what Christ

[23:24] did

[23:26] and is what Charlie would do.

[23:30] The answer to hate is not hate.

[23:34] The answer we know from the gospel is

[23:36] love and always love.

[23:39] Love for our enemies

[23:42] and love for those who persecute us.

[23:48] The world needs Turning Point USA.

[23:52] It needs a group that will point young

[23:54] people away from the path of misery and

[23:57] sin.

[24:00] It needs something that will lead people

[24:01] away from hell in this world and in the

[24:04] next.

[24:06] It needs young people pointed in the

[24:07] direction of truth and beauty.

[24:12] And so I promise you today, every part

[24:15] of our work will become greater.

[24:18] I am tremendously honored

[24:22] to be the new CEO of Turning Point USA.

[24:25] [Applause]

[24:42] I do not take that lightly.

[24:45] Charlie and I were united in purpose.

[24:48] His passion was my passion. And now his

[24:51] mission is my mission.

[24:54] Everything that Turning Point USA built

[24:56] through Charlie's vision and hard work,

[24:59] we will make 10 times greater through

[25:01] the power of his memory.

[25:04] Chapters will grow.

[25:07] Thousands of new ones will be created.

[25:11] TPUSA Faith will add thousands of new

[25:14] pastors and congregations.

[25:24] And yes, campus events will continue and

[25:28] we will continue to hold debates and

[25:30] dialogue.

[25:40] The first amendment of our constitution

[25:42] is the most human amendment.

[25:46] We are naturally talking beings,

[25:51] naturally believing beings,

[25:54] and the first amendment protects our

[25:56] right to do both.

[25:59] No assassin will ever stop us for

[26:01] standing up to defend those rights ever.

[26:13] Because when you stop the conversation,

[26:17] when you stop the dialogue,

[26:22] this is what happens.

[26:25] When we lose the ability and the

[26:27] willingness to communicate,

[26:31] we get violence.

[26:36] And as I stand here now

[26:40] and I look at this beautiful

[26:43] photo of my husband in front of me

[26:46] hanging in the stadium,

[26:49] I think of my husband 13 years ago. I

[26:52] hadn't met him yet.

[26:55] He was 18 years old.

[26:59] A man barely out of high school,

[27:01] running around the halls of the RNC

[27:05] without a dollar in his pocket and a

[27:06] single contact in his phone.

[27:11] People who saw him said that he didn't

[27:13] know what he was doing,

[27:15] but he did.

[27:18] He did know what he was doing.

[27:21] He knew exactly what he was doing.

[27:27] He was going to change the world and he

[27:29] did.

[27:32] Charlie's life was a turning point for

[27:35] this country. It was a miracle.

[27:38] Let that miracle

[27:41] that was Charlie's life be your turning

[27:43] point as well.

[27:46] Choose prayer.

[27:49] Choose courage.

[27:53] Choose beauty.

[27:56] Choose adventure.

[27:59] Choose family.

[28:02] Choose a life of faith.

[28:06] Most importantly, choose Christ.

[28:10] [Applause]

[28:25] I love you Charlie baby

[28:29] and I will make you proud.

[28:33] God bless you all and God bless America.

[28:40] Heat.

[28:55] Heat.