They had both spent years with a special calling in their hearts. But neither knew the other was out there—or that God had a plan all along to bring them together.

 When Brenda Lane began hearing music in her head at the age of 31, she was taken aback. She had never had any musical training, never played an instrument, couldn’t even read notes. But somehow songs she had never heard, from simple lullabies to complex symphonies, kept pouring into her mind. Sometimes the music would come while she slept, sometimes accompanied by an overwhelming feeling of God’s presence.

With the assistance of some musicians from her local church, Brenda recorded some of those early songs on cassette. The more she recorded, the faster the songs came. “It was as if someone had turned on the faucet, and precious life-giving water poured and poured,” she says. “I would be singing one before I knew it was a new song.”

But sadly, other aspects of her life were not coming so easily. After graduating from PUC’s Bible Instructor program in 1979, she had entered into an abusive marriage. With her husband often gone for months at a time, Brenda and her three children struggled through a roller coaster of astonishing poverty and answered prayers. The family had suitable housing when they could afford it; just as often, however, they lived in shacks and tents, or with concerned friends and family. But through the coming years of hardships, miraculous interventions made it clear to her that God had a plan.

And still the music kept coming. God was showing signs of his work there too. It was as if the music from within her couldn’t be stopped, despite the constant roadblocks to getting the songs published. But every once in a while, she would come across someone who was performing a song they had heard somewhere—and it would turn out to be one of hers.

As her children grew older, Brenda realized that she needed both a caring community and training in a steadier line of work. A friend noticed that she had a natural talent for sketching out building plans and recommended she train in drafting. In 1996 she returned to Angwin and enrolled in PUC’s engineering, drafting, and design associate degree program. Working at the school while taking classes, she was able to keep her family in a comfortable house near campus. When she wasn’t busy with other things, she kept writing songs—by now she had over 600 of them written down. Often she prayed, reminding God that if he wanted her to use this talent for his glory, he would need to send her a singer.

Meanwhile, another woman was also feeling the burden of a calling without an outlet. Lila Cervantes had left PUC in 1988, unable to complete her degree. Soon afterward her husband David, a nurse, joined the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. Lila and their children found themselves suddenly immersed in the chaotic world of military family life.

Lila had enjoyed singing all her life. As a child, she learned to sing from her mother, and once she started school she was always involved in choirs. She was known for her beautiful voice, but never thought of herself as a soloist.

When the family was moved to Hawaii, all that began to change. Friends who heard her sing encouraged her to try out for Hawaii Stars, a television talent competition. Although she wasn’t comfortable with the idea at first, she eventually was coaxed into trying out for the show. To her surprise, she not only made it into the competition—she took the Grand Prize. It awakened a passion for performance within her, but something was missing.

After her victory on the show, she was approached by record companies like Disney and Sony, but she turned them down. “I wanted my first record to be for God,” she says. She felt that her gift was especially for God’s people, and so she sought out Adventist churches where she could perform

But now she was stuck in an unusual situation—because of her commercial success, many Adventist churches were suspicious of her motives. She actually had a very hard time scheduling performances at Adventist venues, and was only able to perform at a few. Although discouraged, she found a warm and welcoming audience at other denominational churches—at least there she could sing for God rather than for the world.

Her husband was transferred to Germany, where she continued performing—sometimes opening concerts for a men’s chorus. Then it was off to Japan. Eager to continue singing, she found an agent to book performances for her—but all she could find now were secular venues. She began singing at parties, weddings, and other events. Even though she had an audience, she was very discouraged. “I wasn’t fulfilling my potential of sharing God with my talent,” she says.

In 2005 David was deployed to Iraq, and their eldest daughter headed off for the first time to boarding academy. Lila found herself faced with an opportunity—to return to PUC and finally complete her degree. Seventeen years after leaving, she returned to Angwin.

By this time, Lila, a lifelong singer, had lost her joy in using her voice. The secular music she had been performing was hollow, and had no connection to her personal spiritual journey. “I made a deal with God—I needed a songwriter to continue singing,” she says. “Secular music was killing me inside.”

But a week after Lila graduated, she received a call from a stranger. The stranger had heard about Lila from friends and was looking for a singer. It was Brenda, who had since finished her drafting degree, left Angwin, and returned again when her daughter began college at PUC. Lila was blown away by Brenda’s music; Brenda couldn’t believe Lila’s voice. “The minute I heard her I burst into tears,” says Brenda. “I knew this was the one I had been praying for.”

If further confirmation of God’s leading was required, it was coming. A few days later, the women were heading to a friend’s house together for Sabbath lunch, and Lila made a quick detour to her Angwin home to pick up some food. As they wound through Lila’s neighborhood, Brenda exclaimed, “Don’t tell me you live here!”

Lila was puzzled for a moment, but when she pulled into her driveway Brenda was beside herself. “This is exactly where I used to live!” she shouted. “This is the house where I prayed for you all those years ago!”

Lila and Brenda recorded their first album, I Can See, in 2009. Getting their music to a broader audience isn’t always easy. Neither woman has had a steady church family in years—Lila because of her constant moves with the military, Brenda because of the instability of her family’s financial situation—and so few people know them well enough to welcome performances of the new album. But when people finally hear the album, they’re always impressed with both the quality of the music and the power of the journey that has created it.

Financing for upcoming albums continues to be difficult. But despite the challenges, Brenda and Lila have an important calling and a strong reason to pursue it. “Our purpose is to be a part of the commission to reach souls for Christ, and to encourage those who think God isn’t listening,” says Brenda. “That’s our passion and we’re doing it.”

I Can See is available to hear and purchase on lilacervantes.com, iTunes.com, Amazon.com, Jango.com, and through the PUC Bookstore.

Brenda has written a book on her experiences, entitled Under the Eye. It is available at Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and westbowpress.com.