Darda Burkhart is the daughter of itinerant preacher Percy Wills, the subject of her book, Forging Ahead For God (Pleasant Word, 2009). Darda was born in Auburn, Washington; the family soon after moved to Vancouver, B.C. around the time Percy Wills began his missionary adventures in the logging and mining camps on Vancouver Island.
When WWII broke out, Darda’s family moved to Victoria to open a home for men and women in the armed forces. She became the kid sister to hundreds of service people who frequented the home during its six years of operation. She married Robert Billester in 1949. The young couple enrolled in the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (now called BIOLA University), where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sacred Music.
Her husband became a student pastor in Loma Linda, California, followed by a pastorship in San Dimas, California. The Billesters next pastored the Faith Bible Church of Monterey Park for the next 20 years; Darda headed the music program of the church and worked as church secretary. During this time, she worked full time at Avery Label Company (now Avery Dennison), in their Market Research Department. She retired in 1990 as a Senior Marketing Analyst.
After her husband's death in 1975, Darda sold their home and bought a property in Fontana, California, for her small family. Three years later she sold that property and bought a condo in Corona, where she later met her second husband, Dick Burkhart.
Over the years, Darda has dealt with the severe accidents of one son and her first grandson. This includes her experience of caring for both husbands who died from inoperable cancer. Darda is the proud mother to three adult sons, enjoys reading, writing, and travelling. She continues to make her home in Lynden, Washington.
Book Recap:
Forging Ahead For God showcases the life of a young man, Percy Wills, who gave his life unsparingly to God. From the scattered farms and populace of the northern Canadian Prairies, to an urban church, to "The Graveyard of the Pacific," he lived his life based on a foundation of trust in God’s faithfulness. As a young pastor with two small children, Percy and his wife Margarette followed God’s call to a ministry of itinerant preaching. For over forty years, Percy Wills served God along the west coast of Canada and ministered to an area desperately in need of medical and spiritual help. Percy’s vision and faith in God enabled him to sail the treacherous waters of the Pacific coast in his quest to visit lonely people living in small bays, lighthouses, mining and logging camps. He was a fisher of men and a hunter of souls. Percy’s loving care was given to everyone he met regardless of their ethnicity, religious background, education, or social status. As newer missionaries joined the task, he welcomed them, taught them, and encouraged them to grow in the knowledge of God's Word.
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