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Gracia Burnham is returning to Rose Hill Monday afternoon, after meeting with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the family of Ediborah Yap (another Abu Sayyaf hostage killed in Friday's battle), and fellow New Tribes missionaries in the Philippines. Her parents, children, and other family members have gathered here along with leaders of the New Tribes Mission to await her arrival.

"It's not the kind of reunion we were hoping for," says Doug Burnham. "We're one short." Still, he says, the family and church are very eager to have her back and help her adjust.

"She has some grieving to do," Burnham said. "She also has to recover from being held hostage for more than a year." The couple's three children, ages 15, 12, and 11, are also grieving, though family members say they're doing better than expected.

"God says he will be a father to the fatherless, and God is going to have to pick up the slack where Gracia and anyone else can't," Burnham said. Martin's body, which is being examined at the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, to determine the cause of death, will be returned to the U.S. later this week. A funeral and a private burial have been scheduled for Friday.

Ted Olsen is online managing editor of Christianity Today.

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

More updates on the Burnhams are available at Yahoo's full coverage, The Philippine Inquirer, The Daily Tribune, ABS-CBN, New Tribes Mission, The Wichita Eagle and The Orlando Sentinel.

Previous Christianity Today articles on the Burnhams includes:

Free the Burnhams | A year after the missionaries' abduction, it's time to bring them home. (May 24, 2002)

Families of Hostage Couple Wait | Men's prayer group for Burnhams perseveres six days a week. (Feb. 26, 2002)

Agency Disputes Rumors about Burnhams | All indications say the hostages are still being held captive in the jungles of Basilan Island. (Feb. 26, 2002)

Missionary Couple Remains in Limbo | The apparently poor condition of the Burnhams has given the case a new urgency. (Jan. 17, 2002)

Kidnapped Missionaries Reported Safe | But danger increasing for Burnhams—and for workers around the world. (June 26, 2001)

New Tribes Missionaries Kidnapped | Muslim rebels in Philippines threaten to kill Martin and Gracia Burnham and 18 others if military intervenes. (May 29, 2001)

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June (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46