History Book - God’s captives

MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Monday, June 6th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher. Up next, the WORLD History Book. Twenty years ago this week an American missionary couple’s year-long captivity comes to a dramatic conclusion. Here’s Paul Butler.

PAUL BUTLER: For 17 years, missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham lived and worked in the Philippines with New Tribes Mission. Martin was a jungle pilot and Gracia supported the work in many ways while also home-schooling their children.

On May 27th, 2001, the Burnhams were celebrating their wedding anniversary at a resort when the Abu Sayyaf—a Muslim terrorist group linked to Al-Qaeda —kidnapped the couple and 18 other guests. Within six months, all but the Burnhams and one additional captive remained in custody. Some had been released, others killed.

The Abu Sayyaf took refuge in the jungle—forcing the Burhams to live in primitive conditions while evading the Philippine military. On the afternoon of June 7th, 2002, the military succeeded in pinning the group down.

NEWSCAST: Martin Burham was killed during a rescue attempt by the Philippine Army, but his wife Gracia survived. Family members say that, during Martin’s final hours, both he and Gracia had a sense that they might not make it out alive.

Over the two decades since the rescue, Gracia has visited hundreds of churches sharing her story. Earlier this year she spoke at the Cross Con youth conference. Here is a short excerpt of her presentation.

GRACIA BURNHAM: Well, you know how our story went, and you know how Martin died in the gun battle that rescued me. But…my kids and I have been asking people like you, all over the world to pray for the guys who held us captive. And why are we surprised when God does something awesome, and answers our prayer? I don't know. Oh, me of little faith. God has given me a “rest of the story.”

Several years ago, an American couple that works in prison ministry in the Philippines contacted me. They had gotten ahold of a comic book series that our foundation printed. These were printed in Tausug - the language that many of the Abu Sayyaf spoke. They're beautiful, colorful, I have no idea what they say - they're in Tausug. But they gave them out in the prison and the guys loved them…

But they said the interesting thing that's happening here is these guys found out Gracia Burnham printed these. They're coming to us saying “we're former Abu Sayyaf. We’re the ones who held Martin and Gracia captive.”

I said, “Well, ask ‘em their names. Maybe I know them.” And here came the names; sure enough, guys we walked with, lived with, starved with for a year - 23 or so of them in prison for the rest of their lives.

…This American couple and I have gotten together to figure out ways to show the love of Christ to these guys. And I could spend an hour telling you that story. But awesome things are happening. These guys are reading the scriptures in their own dialects. Some of them are going to Bible studies. To make a long, awesome story very short, so far, five former Abu Sayyaf that I know of have come to know the Lord as their Savior. [APPLAUSE]

Some of them are in the prison. Some are not. One is a very violent man with over 20 counts of murder against him - a new person in Christ, a brother in the Lord. And we just keep praying. And I wonder if you'd want to start praying, too, when you think about me and my story. Pray for these guys in the prison…

God can do anything can’t He? And it's not over till it's over. And I think that God has let me be a small part of what's happening there in the prison, just to encourage my heart because he loves doing good things for his children.

Had I known while we were going through our hard year in the jungle, that one day, even one of those guys would come to know Jesus, because of our experience, I think the days would have been easier to bear. And I could kick myself now and say, would it not have been enough to trust a good God with the days of my life? Can we begin to believe that God takes us into hard situations, not to crush us, but so that we can learn to see his hand and learn to trust him when he's doing a good work? And God's work is good, it's always good.

And I've been encouraged that there can't be a harvest without seed planters. And maybe planting seeds isn't always fun. Maybe planting seeds for you is downright uncomfortable. And you don't see any fruit for your labors. You might wonder why you were called to plant seeds, because you're not even good at it. But all of a sudden you see what God's doing. And I've been encouraged that the seed we planted long ago in the jungle was not wasted. Others are reaping what we sowed ever so long ago. So keep planting those seeds, my friend - those seeds of the gospel that Christ died for our sins, the ones that God said will never be wasted. Keep on when you feel like givin’ up. When you don't see any fruit, when you wonder if you even really know what you're doin’, keep on. It's God that's going to do the work on down the road. And I thank you for having me. God bless you guys.

That’s this week’s WORLD History book, I’m Paul Butler.

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