Source: Mission Network News, November 8, 2016
If you’ve read In the Presence of My Enemies, you know the story of Martin and Gracia Burnham. They were missionaries in the Philippines who were kidnapped from a resort in 2001 with several others by the Abu Sayyaf, a Jihadist terror group. They were kept hostage for a year. The Philippine army attack that rescued Gracia also killed her husband, Martin.
There have been miraculous developments in Burnham’s story. “I have found some of the guys who held us captive, [who are] in a maximum security prison in Manila, and I’ve been able to work with them in a small way through a missionary couple who works in the prison. So far, four former Abu Sayyaf have come to know Jesus as their Savior.”
“God writes really good stories. All of that could be happening in the Philippines, and I wouldn’t even know about it. But the Lord let me even be in on some of it, and I’m just very grateful to him.”
Coming off the heels of the International Day of Prayer and the focus on the worldwide Church, we asked Gracia how her life experience has influenced her thoughts on missions.
“I think my philosophy on missions is you just love people and you invite them into your circumstances. You tell them your story and what God did for you—and how God can work in their hearts and lives as well.”
Ultimately, says Burnham, “It’s an honor to tell my story… I just try to love people and do what I can do, and watch God do what only he can do.”
» Read full story. And check out Gracia Burnham’s second book, To Fly Again: Surviving the Tailspins of Life.