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It was supposed to be a vacation. It became a life-threatening abduction by one of the world's deadliest terrorist organizations. And it's time for the ordeal to end. The story of Martin and Gracia Burnham will be familiar to many Christianity Today readers. On May 27, 2001, the New Tribes missionaries were celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary at a resort in the southern Philippines. They had been serving in the country for 15 years and were taking a romantic getaway. The militant Muslim group Abu Sayyaf attacked, and within 20 minutes had taken the Burnhams and 18 others hostage.

One year later, Abu Sayyaf has beheaded at least one of those hostages, another American named Guillermo Sobero. Other hostages were freed: some ransomed, others apparently let go to make the kidnappers harder to find. The Burnhams and a Filipina nurse, however, are still captive. And their life is reportedly horrific. They are weak and malnourished, and have suffered from malaria. They are forced to march through the Basilan Island jungles. Martin was injured early on in fighting between the guerrillas and the Philippine military. He is reportedly chained at all times, either to a tree or to a terrorist.

Gracia, meanwhile, is experiencing serious emotional strain. "We think about everyone so often—and I'll admit that I cry a lot," she said in a November letter. Other hostages have suggested that this may be a vast understatement.

Both are likely facing pressure to convert to Islam; several of the now-freed hostages say they converted from Christianity to their captors' religion during their abduction. No one should have to experience such terror. What makes this story even more tragic is that it could have been resolved almost as soon as it began. But evil begets evil, and a combination of incompetence, politicking, and outright fraud have kept the missionaries captive.

It's time for a real effort to rescue Martin and Gracia.

Like Martin Burnham, the apostle Peter was also chained to his captors. But God miraculously freed him after "earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church" (Acts 12:5). Even then, the young Christians had a hard time believing their prayers had made a difference. Likewise, it's often difficult to believe that our prayers to set the captives free will have much effect. But the effort to free the Burnhams will not ultimately be waged in negotiating rooms or on a battlefield. It will be waged on our knees.

We must pray both corporately and privately for the Burnhams, their families, and those working for their freedom. We also must pray for Abu Sayyaf's guerrillas. We should pray not just that they would awaken to their consciences and free the Burnhams, but also for their conversion and for justice to be done.

Several Websites help Christians pray specifically. New Tribes Mission's site is the most extensive, but PrayThemHome.com, run by Marjorie Clark, is more focused. CT's Weblog also regularly posts news about the couple.

"I believe that prayer's the one very powerful thing that we can do," says PrayThemHome.com's Clark, Gracia's college roommate. She also knows it's not the only thing we can do. Clark met with her congressional delegation, and launched a petition to urge officials in Washington to do more. It's a message they still need to hear.

The U.S. government is taking orders from the Philippines on this issue. "The situation is the responsibility of the government of the Philippines and its armed forces," the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff said during an April trip to Basilan. "We will advise and assist in any way that we are asked to do."

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June 10 2002, Vol. 46, No. 7