Martin and Gracia Burnham

Perhaps you remember the story that flashed around the world some time ago about the kidnapping of Martin and Gracia Burnham of New Tribes Mission. They were celebrating their anniversary at a resort in the Philippines when terrorists burst into the hotel and dragged them into the jungle. They spent a year in captivity, faced near starvation, and were caught in the middle of gun battles. In the end, both were shot. Martin was killed, but Gracia lived to tell the story.

One night, she recalled, as they set up their hammocks, expecting a rainy evening, Martin said, "You know, Gracia, I don't know why the Lord has allowed this to happen, but today I've been thinking about Psalm 100, how we can serve the Lord with gladness. Just because we're here doesn't mean we can't serve Him with gladness, so let's serve the Lord with gladness."

They prayed together and settled into their hammocks, It was then that the gunfire started. Gracia fell to the ground wounded. The grass was wet, and she slid down a steep hill and came to rest beside Martin. He was bleeding from his chest and breathing heavily. Then he gave one final deep breath and was gone.

But those words from Psalm 100 never died in Gracia's heart. She said, "The Lord has given me joy. We can have a hard day here at home, but I'm still just dumb enough to be really, really happy. And even when they were dragging me up the hill from Martin and I could see he was white and I could tell he was dead, you know what? I was so happy in my heart that I was getting out of there. I can't explain it, but I don't think I have to feel guilty or deny it."

Turning Points

January 2006

Page 14

Joy; Service; Sacrifice; Missions