My condensed testimony/letter to Sparrow Records and Reunion Records: Hi, my name is Darla Kaye Kilhoffer, and I’m a high school senior from Oklahoma. In August 2009, my father was diagnosed with liver cancer, a fast moving cancer that few survive. We uneasily accepted the news and began praying, and seeking medical treatment for him. Though the cancer progressed, he did very well the first year and we just knew that he was going to be fine. He battled bravely and always spoke positively. But from the inside out, the sickness was taking its toll and he had to work from home many days each week. On October 29, 2010, my dad passed away. I was deeply hurt, because I felt that God had betrayed His promises. He had promised in His Word that “by His stripes we are healed…”. Hundreds of people had been praying for his healing; they too were trusting God to work a miracle. My dad worked hard, played hard, and loved people. He made such an impact in the people he met, that nearly one thousand people were present at his funeral. That December we had our first Christmas without my dad, and I wrote “I Wish You Were Here” for our family. I performed it at several Christmas caroling events, hoping to comfort and connect with those who were missing loved ones during the holidays. When I finally realized that God had kept His promises by healing dad and giving him eternal life, I wrote “Promise Me” as a reminder that the Lord keeps His promises. As I watched my mom grieve and slip into depression I wrote “Here for You”. I wrote songs to comfort our family as we tried to accept our new cicrumstances, and to remind myself that God was walking with us through it all. Months earlier I had written “Seasons” with my friend Lauren Russ, based out of Ecclesiastes chapter three, and I clinged to the concept that there is a time for everything, even death. God showed Himself to be a Faithful Father, a promise-keeper and a provider when we had none. He has healed my heart. I can fully trust Him again, and I no longer blame Him for my past sorrow, but thank Him for carrying me through it. My songs are not about being broken-hearted any more, because God has been teaching me so much. After truly grasping the impact love can make in someone’s life, I wrote “Mission of Love”. Recently, God woke me up one morning with the lyrics to “100 Percent”, as He challenged me to give Him all that I’ve got, rather than half-way serving Him. In April of 2013 I competed in Assemblies of God Fine Arts Festival in the category of songwriting (with 100 Percent as my song) and received a merit award, as well as a superior rating and an invitation to nationals, at which I’ll be competing in August. I’m super excited to see where God sends me and what He will challenge me to write. I know that the Lord has called me to music ministry, including a recording artist and worship pastor. I’m in hopes that you will give my acoustic demo cd a listen; most of all, I pray that this cd blesses you and that God uses it to speak to your life. I’m still writing songs, and hopefully I will be recording another cd in the next couple of years.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 00:26:29 +0000