Good evening. Thank you for allowing me to tell my story one more time. I'm so happy to be here. Last night I laid down on a nice bed and as I laid down I whispered, ìThank you God, thank you, thank you.î You know that is exactly what I used to say when I would lay down on the jungle floor during our captivity, ìThank you God, thank you.î Some of the details have changed. Last night I laid down on a beautiful bed in the prophetís house down the lane, the Levitt surrounded by all the comforts of home, while in the jungle we were surrounded by enemies. And we laid down on empty rice sacks that we begged from the Abu Sayyaf. These are rice sacks you guys. These were our beds. Now these rice sacks are nice and new. This one even has a cheery picture on it. The rice sacks we slept on were dirty and awful and stinky, but I was so glad to have something between us and the creepy crawlies that I thought must be on the jungle floor. Well, I knew they were, because one morning I sat up to stretch, and I watched a snake crawl out from under the rice sack I was on. I had kept him warm during the night. although my circumstances have changed, the cry of my heart at night is the very same. Thank you, God, for taking care of me today. Thank you that I have a place to be tonight. Thank you that I have made it one more day. So I am really happy to be here this evening, and one reason is I get to thank so many of you who prayed for us. You prayed for these nobodies that you suddenly became aware of who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, facing some pretty big hardships, and what would we have done without your prayers? It was a radio broadcast we did on a cell phone one day that allowed us to tell the outside world that my feet were really in bad shape. We were taken hostage with basically nothing, the clothes on our backs. and a few days into our captivity, they gave me a pair of old, holy rubber boots that they found in an abandoned farmhouse that we passed, and I was so grateful for those, but I did not have any socks, and as we would walk through rivers and streams, sand would get in my boots, because they had holes in them, and they would rub my feet raw. There were days they were bloody and oozing. One night, we had walked much of the night. We heard the military was near, so we just needed to move to a whole new area. We lay down in a field of long grass to get some rest, and as I pulled off my boots, I could see how frightful my feet looked, and I knew to even let them touch the grass was gonna hurt, so I sort of piled my boots on the grass and put my feet on top of the boots to keep them off the grass. It seems like only minutes later, they were jabbing us to get up, move. I looked at the guy with the gun, my feet, I can't go on. Well, you can't stay here, he said. So I pulled my boots back on and hobbled down the trail with everyone else. That next day they had Martin make a statement on the radio, and they gave him a list of grievances that they wanted aired, and he made the complaints, but he was able also to let people know about my feet. And you began to pray, and they began to heal. I learned to wrap them in whatever I could find. Big leaves or old plastic bags I found along the side of the trail. Anything I could find I would wrap my feet in before I slid them into my boots. And they started to heal. And I want to thank you for your prayers. Thank you for loving this couple that you've never even met before. It seemed like our trial lasted forever, and that is how a trial is, is it not? And there were days we felt like everyone had forgotten us, and there were days I felt forsaken. And I have to wonder if some of you this evening might be walking down a trail you would rather not be walking down. Sometimes we find ourselves in a place we would never have chosen to be. We didn't have a copy of the scriptures in the jungle, but I had some of God's Word hidden in my heart. Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, I am your God. That's true for us, whether we're dodging bullets in a gun battle or facing something just as serious right here at home, right? Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. When you go through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep you over. The promises of God, are you not glad you have those to hang on to, no matter what you are facing? Well, right about Easter time, almost a year into our captivity, someone paid a ransom for us. And you can imagine our excitement when some of the money came into camp. This was it. It is what we had all been waiting for. We could all go home. And the leaders of the Abu Sayyaf sat down and had a big meeting. And they called me and Martin over. We sat down on the ground with them. And they said, someone has paid a ransom for you, but we have decided it is not enough and we are going to ask for more. and I begged them not to do that. I said, �This is not going to turn out well. We are sick of this. You are sick of this. Just take the money and let us go home.� But they were greedy, and they hardened their hearts, and they asked for more money. Well, you can imagine how defeated we felt that night when we laid down on our rice sacks to get some rest. And just as I was drifting off to sleep, Martin kind of nudged me, and he said, �Gracia, I am so glad that when Jesus paid a ransom for us, it was enough.� Jesus' death, His payment for us was sufficient. It satisfied God. There is nothing charged against us anymore. There does not need to be any more sacrifice for sin, because Jesus paid it all. It is finished, done, kaput. Martin did not really say kaput. That is a theological term that I made up, but what I hope for us this evening is what I share about my story will encourage you to continue on, to keep going, to keep trusting a good God, even if it is not comfortable or easy. People sometimes ask, what was the hardest thing about being a hostage? The hardest thing for me was I saw what I was really like. In one swift moment in time everything I had except Martin was taken away from me and when everything is gone and you are in an uncomfortable position you see what is really in your heart. I was born into a loving Christian family. I became a believer in Jesus at an early age. I married this terrific guy who had an incredible gift of piloting airplanes and we decided we wanted to make a difference in the world so we packed up. and we left the American dream and we went to the Philippines where Martin flew food and medicine and cargo and people into some of the most primitive places in the world, and I was a pretty good person. Thought I was anyway, but in the jungle, I came face to face with a Gratia I did not want to see. I saw a me that I did not even want to believe existed. I saw a hateful Gratia. There were days I hated those guys. for what they were doing to us, for the pain they were causing our family. I saw a covetous Gratia. When we were starving and I saw someone with food and they ate it and did not share it with us, I coveted what they had. I was filled with envy at them. I saw a despairing Gratia. Nobody cares about us anymore. This has gone on for so long. Everyone has forgotten us. I saw a faithless Gratia. Here is a journal entry that I scribbled one day on some borrowed paper using a pen that barely worked, and this is not pretty. This was a very hard day for me. Why does God keep me here to suffer day after day? I got almost hysterical in the afternoon. Martin tells me not to give up. I have tried to be a good hostage and be patient, and where has it gotten me? Eight and a half months and still here. God is pleased to have me suffer, and I am tired of it. Hebrews 4.12 says that God's Word is a discerner that looks at our hearts and exposes us for what we really are. Nothing in all creation can hide from Him. Everything is open and exposed before His eyes, and we might look together on the outside, and we might have a whole lot of props that keep life going well for us. Here in America we have got lots of props, do nice houses, beautiful families, careers, money, but God sees what we are inside, but God is good. He knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust, and He loves us, and He is on our side when we are weak and we are needy, and God did not wait for me to get my act together there in the jungle. even as I complained at Him for keeping us there for so long, He started to work in my heart. I asked Martin one day, where is the love, the joy, the peace, the contentment, you know all those things that are supposed to characterize believers, and Jesus, where are those things? I am looking at myself. I see the bad and the worse, and there is no good." And Martin said, �Love, joy, peace, those are not things you can make happen in your own heart. Those are gifts from the Holy Spirit of God. Let�s ask for them.� Well, I had tried and failed to find those things in myself for months, so we started to pray and ask God to work good things in us. And it seems like we were either running for our lives from the military who were trying to rescue us for days and nights on end, totally exhausted, or we were in what we thought was a safe place, and we were hiding out, and we were laying low, and we were totally bored. And every once in a while during those days and weeks of boredom, a magazine or something to read would make its way into camp. And we loved that. It gave us something to do. We especially liked Reader's Digest. We would read them until they fell apart. Martin would read them loud to me. I would read them loud to him. We really liked the jokes. And one day Martin read this one to me. It's called Writer's Block. Having encouraged her class of 11-year-olds to use descriptive language in the story she had just asked them to write, my wife was disappointed when one boy used the adjective big to describe a castle. She asked the boy to be a bit more creative and told him to rewrite the sentence. Minutes later, he was back at her desk. This time the sentence read, I went into the castle, which was big, and when I say big, I mean big. We laughed, too. A day or so later Martin said, �Gracia, I have been thinking about that joke and about something Jesus said.� He said, �If you want to be great in God�s kingdom, be the servant of all.� And I think when he said all, he meant all. He did not mean all but the bad guys holding you hostage. And I watched Martin start to serve those guys. There was this one kid, fifty-seven, that probably was not really his name, but that is what we called him, 57. His job was to carry the M57 through the jungle. An M57 is heavy weaponry. It is a four or five foot long metal tube, and during a gun battle they had this tripod thing they would put it on, and they would put the mortars in the front and shoot it, in our case, at the military. Well, 57 was always in a bad mood. I told Martin, I called him 57 because for 57 days in a row he had been in a bad mood. One day we were in a gun battle. We had some casualties. So did the military. The Abu Sayyaf killed a medic, a point man, and a radio man, which meant we gained a medical bag, a weapon, and a radio. Well, the next day when nobody was looking, Martin and I sort of went through that medical bag, and we sort of lifted some things that we thought we were going to need in the future, some pain reliever, some antibiotics, some anti-diarrhea medicine, and we hid that away amongst our stuff. Well, we learned that 57 suffered from headaches. That is why he was always in a sour mood. And every time we would see him, start to rub his temples, Martin would take him some of our stash of pain reliever. That kid's attitude towards us changed totally. Not long after that they sent 57 out on a striking force. A striking force was a group of ten or fifteen guys who they would send to another area of the island we were on to wreak some havoc in order to keep the attention away from our group, and we never knew if we would see them alive again. Things did not always go well for them. When 57 came back to camp he was all smiles when he saw Martin. He gave him that two-cheeked Muslim greeting. as we prayed, God began giving us the victories within ourselves that we were desperately asking Him for. He changed us in the jungle. He gave us a love for those guys. We began to be concerned for them. He used everyday occurrences to show us their neediness, like a conversation I had one day with Nadim. Nadim was a young guy, maybe 16, 18 years old, and he spoke enough English so we could communicate a little bit with him. One of the requirements of a Muslim is they're supposed to read their Koran every day. But when the Abu Sayyaf would read their Koran, they didn't read it silently to themselves like we would read a book. They read it aloud. Only they didn't just read it. They had this beautiful sing-song, minor key, haunting chant that they did. And one would start in reading and they would all start reading, oh, I haven't done my Koran reading, different books, different chapters. different tunes. I called it choir practice. I kind of figured if the military really wanted to find us and rescue us, they just needed to open their ears during Koran reading. One day after Nadim was finished reading, I asked him, ìHey, what did you just read?î And his eyes lit up. He said, ìOh, I just read my favorite psalm.î I said, ìReally? What does it say?î He said, I don't know, it's in Arabic and I don't speak Arabic. I was shocked. I said, Nadim, you're reading words you don't understand? The reason it was his favorite psalm is he'd read it so many times he didn't have to think about it anymore when he read it. I said, you know what you need to do? You need to get a Koran that's been translated into your dialect and then you'll know what you're reading. And he said, oh, oh no ma'am, then it would be corrupted. And I realized that Nadim is basing his whole life and eternity on a book he's never read and is not likely to read. How is Nadim going to hear the gospel without a preacher? We need some preachers, some people willing to go to the hard places. Oh, duh. Maybe that's why we were in that situation, to be a witness to some lost guys. Do we pray to the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into his harvest as long as it doesn't inconvenience me and mess up my comfortable life? Here is a quote I found on Facebook of all places by a famous missionary, C.T. Studd, who could have had a comfortable life playing world-class cricket in England but instead chose hard places. He said, �Some people like to live within the sound of a church or chapel bell. I want to build a rescue shop within a yard of hell.� working within a yard of hell is not going to be a pleasant place. There will be lots of opposition there, but we need some people willing to go to the hard places, and hard places is what's left in the world. Maybe a people group would be classified as hard to reach because they are isolated. They say there are some 2,000 language groups in our world with not one verse of Scripture in their dialect. Some have never had anyone from the outside come into their world and tell them anything. They do not know the basics of clean drinking water, much less what the gospel is. Working in hard places is what Ethnos 360 does. Ethnos 360 is the new name for the organization formerly known of as New Tribes Mission. Did you know that, that we've changed our name? For 75 years, NTM, Ethnos 360 now, has been working in isolated villages, and there's still a lot to do. The job has to be done. The last tribe, the last man, and we need quality people to help us take the gospel there. You know, God's always picked certain people to do a difficult task. I don't have to convince you with this job. God's gonna pick some of you. Do you have the faith, the courage, the urging to say, God, do you want me? Do you want to use my life? Do you want to use me to make a difference in the world? A long-term, sign-me-up difference, not to go on a short-term mission trip, but a lifelong career missionary. And to some of you, God will answer, yes, that's what I have for you. Ethnos 360 can train you and send you out. Even if you go with another mission agency, They can give you specialized training for going into totally unreached areas where you'll encounter very unique barriers. And we'd love to talk with you about that if you're called to special missionary work. Maybe a people group would be classified as hard to reach, not because they're isolated, but because of their ideology. They aren't gonna be open to what you have to say, and it may not be a very safe place for you to live. But we need some people willing to go to the hard places. Maybe your job is not to go. Maybe you're to stay here and pray. I heard someone recently say, when we work, we work. When we pray, God works. You can have a worldwide ministry with any people group that you choose without ever leaving your living room. Pray, pray, pray. Have you heard the phrase, prayer needs no passport? I would love to invite you to stop by the back table and pick up the latest magazine from Ethnos 360. This will give you some good things to think about, some things to pray about. If you want to start keeping up with me and my ministry, sign up back there. The people at the table tonight are Tim and Peggy Castagna. We flew for them in the Philippines. They lived in a little tribal village with a people group called the Ibaloi, and they dear, dear friends, and I am so glad that they are here tonight. But we need some people willing to pray for the work amongst hard-to-reach tribal places. A lady talked to me one night after I spoke, and she was waiting to get her book signed, and she said, �Gracia, you know what I do at night now when I cannot fall asleep? I do not count sheep anymore. I count Muslims.� One Muslim comes to Jesus. Two Muslims come to Jesus. Three Muslims come to Jesus. Oh Lord, may it be so for Your honor and for Your glory. Four Muslims come to Jesus. You have heard that Muslims all over the world are coming to Jesus, have you not? My friend from Iran says it is like God is running a special on Muslims right now. and I wonder if what is happening in the Muslim world is a direct answer to that sweet lady's prayer of faith. Pray, pray, pray. Well, you guys know the rest of our story, how for months it looked like our release was right around the corner and then something would happen and negotiations would break down again and we would be back to square one again and how that went on for what seemed like forever to us. You know how Martin died in the gun battle that rescued me. But I got to come home and raise my children. My kids are grown now. They love the Lord. They are involved in Christian work and missions, and what a gift that is from God. Several years ago, an American couple that works in prison ministry in the Philippines contacted me. They had gotten a hold of a comic book series that our foundation printed. 13 comic books on the lives of the prophets, those men that Muslims believed to be prophets, Adam, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, David, on through Jesus. We printed them in Taosug, the language that many of the Abu Sayyaf spoke. They gave the comics away in the prison, and the guys loved them. They said, anything else you print, we want to read. But they said, the interesting thing that's happening is these guys found out Gratia Burnham printed these. They are coming to us saying, ìWe are former Abu Sayyaf. We are the ones who held Martin and Gratia captive.î I said, ìWell, ask them their names. Maybe I know them.î Here came the names, Zacharias, who on May 27 burst into our room at Dos Palmas with his M16. He was so surprised to find out that our youngest son and him had the same name, Zachary, Zacharias, that we would name one of our children after one of their Muslim prophets. and we just let him think that. Also in prison is Daoud, the guy that used to sit and talk with Martin when we would rest during our long days of hiking. Daoud's job was to carry the solar panels through the jungle. The solar panels would help charge the sat phones and the cell phones so they could talk to the outside government negotiators. His wife and child had died in childbirth, and since the economy is horrible in the southern Philippines, he found himself with no family, no means of support. He joined the Abu Sayyaf almost as a career move. Martin and Dawood would discuss all sorts of things from jihad to being shaheed, being martyred. They discussed Dawood�s hopes and dreams. Also in jail is Bashir. He was shot in the same gun battle that Martin died in, the one that led to my rescue. Bashir was unable to keep up with the group as they retreated down the river, so they left him behind to fend for himself in the jungle with five hundred pesos, ten dollars. You cannot buy anything in the jungle. You cannot take care of yourself. And several days later the military found him. Gangrene had moved into his leg. It had to be amputated. He sends me notes every once in a while. I also have this T-shirt that this couple brought me one year. when we were having some planning meetings, signed by some of the guys in the prison. It says, Inmate Maximum. I said, Will and Joni, what am I supposed to do with that T-shirt? You cannot wear it to the mall. This couple and I get together every other summer 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 men are going to Bible studies. They are studying the Scriptures in their own dialects. Sometimes we come up with ideas, and we do not even know if they are good ideas or not. Maybe they are stupid ideas, but we are just asking God to bless our meager efforts, and He has. So far, four former Abu Sayyaf have come to know Jesus as their Savior. One of them is a very violent man with over twenty counts of murder against him, a new person in Christ, a brother in the Lord. and we really cannot believe what God is doing, and we just keep praying, and I wonder if you would want to pray too, especially for Zacharias, Zachary, who is very hard and resistant towards anything having to do with the gospel. God can do anything, Candy, and it is not over until it is over, and I think that God has let me be a small part of what is 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 is doing a good work? And God's work is good, it's always good, in the midst of the mess. What God's doing is good, because He's 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 it's downright uncomfortable for you, 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 is doing. And I have been reminded that the seed we planted in the jungle was not wasted. Others are reaping what we sowed ever so long ago. God is almighty. He can do anything. So keep planting those seeds, my friend, those seeds of the gospel. Keep on. When you feel like giving up, when you do not see any fruit, when you do not know what you are doing, just keep on. It is God that is going to do the work on down the road. As I close tonight, could I tell you about Martin's gravestone? Martin always told us what he wanted on his gravestone. We all knew. The kids knew. And then he died. And it came time to go to the monument company to make some choices. And the kids said, Mom, you know what you have to do, right? But Grandma and Grandpa, Martin's mom and dad, will never agree to it. And I said, well, I'll go with Grandma and Grandpa. You stay home and pray. I wish you could see his gravestone. It has a beautiful tropical scene on the front, mountains in the background, a Nepa tribal hut, a Cessna aircraft landing on a short jungle strip right there by the hut. It has Martin's name and his birth date and his death date on it with a cross in between the two dates to show that something very significant happened between those two dates. And on the back In smaller print, in quotes, what Martin always wanted on his tombstone. It says, it wasn't pilot error. With his initials and a smiley face on it. Martin didn't want to die in an airplane crash that he caused. You pilots, you can relate, right? Martin loved what he did. And we're so proud of the monument to his memory. None of us knows the length of the race we're to run. We're not told in the beginning. And on every man's tombstone, there's a dash between the birth date and the death date. I've heard it referred to as the dash between the dates. Every tombstone has that small hyphen that represents a life. We only get one dash. No one gets two. There are no do-overs and everyone dies. and I am encouraged again to live a life worthy of the Lord. The only thing that will last in eternity is what you and I do for God here on earth. So let us make the dash that we are given one that really counts. And God bless you as you do that. Thank you for having me. God bless you.