They Answered the Call

June 7, 2002

Martin and Gracia Burnham, missionaries to the Philippines with New Tribes Mission, were kidnapped along with one other American and several Filipinos in May 2001. The Burnhams were celebrating their 18th anniversary on the island of Palawan. The captors beheaded several of their captives, including Guillermo Sobero, the other American, during the time the Burnhams were in captivity. June 7, 2002, over a year after the abduction, the Philippine army stormed the camp in an effort to rescue the hostages. In the fighting, Martin Burnham and their fellow hostage Deborah Yap were killed, and Gracia was rescued.

They heard the call
The call to go
To preach the Gospel to the world

And they answered the call
No matter what the cost
They preached the Gospel
They showed God’s love
Wherever they went

It was only a break
A time of rest
How could they know
How much a rest would cost?

They answered the call
They showed God’s love to their captors
They prayed for and cared for their fellow hostages

They would spend a year
With little to eat
Moving around
In the thick jungle’s heat

Their bodies were weak
But their faith was strong
They showed God’s love
To those who hated Him

They saw the others released
Some killed
But still they were held

He was in chains
She was in pain
They went through illness
And agony

But still they answered the call
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven"

At last the rescuers came
She was rescued by the army
He was rescued by God Himself

They are free
She recovers from her wounds
And her loss
He sits at the feet
Of his eternal God and King
For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.