Bush Officials Pay Respect to Martin Burnham at Funeral

A memorial service was held June 14 for American missionary Martin Burnham, who was shot and killed a week ago during a gun battle between government troops and Muslim militants in the jungle of the Philippines, according to reports monitored by ASSIST News Service. A Filipino nurse, Deborah Yap, was also killed during the partially failed rescue attempt by the Philippine army on June 7.

The ceremony for Martin (42) was conducted in the Central Christian Church in Wichita, Kansas, where residents had prayed around the clock for him and his wife since they were kidnapped last year by Abu Sayaf Group rebels.

Martin's 43-year old wife Gracia, who survived but is still in a wheelchair because of a bullet wound, and their three children Jeff (15), Mindy (12) and Zach (11) were among the thousands of people that attended the emotionally charged service.

Also present were representatives of the Bush Administration, former senator Bob Dole, Senator Sam Brownback, Rep. Todd Tiahrt and the Philippine Ambassador Albert del Rosario, according to news reports.

Outside the church, the staff of nearby stores stood on the street, paying their respects by holding flags and sympathy cards as police directed traffic, eyewitnesses said.

Alex Branch of The Wichita Eagle newspaper described the church service as a "joyous memorial" being held by friends and family, the Religious Media Agency said. "The family's poise impressed all those who have tried to imagine themselves in the family's place," he was quoted as saying.

Martin Burnham went to the Philippines with his missionary parents in 1969. Less than two decades later, he and his wife began working for the New Tribes Mission (NTM) in 1986. He soon became known as a dedicated pilot for missionaries, delivering their mail, supplies and encouragement.

Martin was often heard praying and singing during the one-year hostage ordeal that began when the Burnhams were kidnapped after celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary at the Dos Palmas beach resort near the island of Palawan.

Four days earlier on May 23, 2001, he reportedly remarked at his farewell meeting: "I wasn't called to be a missionary. I wasn't called to the Philippines. I was just called to follow Christ; and that's what I'm doing."

During the Memorial Service, much of which had been planned by Martin, the Rev. Galen Hinshaw read letters written by the children. Mindy told of her father singing to her, "playfully inserting her name into the song's lyrics."

The 12-year-old wrote: "Even though we weren't a rich family, any time I would want or needed anything, he did his best to get it for me." And their 15-year-old son, Jeff, told of a father who would always make time for him and planned to teach him to fly. "I'm going to miss our times together," he wrote.

The Rev. Oli Jacobsen, chairman of the New Tribes Mission executive committee, spoke of Martin as being "kind and gentle, but he was no weak person." NTM has reported that since the kidnapping, 5,000 people have registered to receive updates by e-mail and 1,000 checked the website for the latest information.

Martin had told his wife prior to his death that, if he should die, he wanted his funeral to have a sermon by Rev. Clay Bowlin, a Kansas City pastor at Northwest Bible Church and a fellow student with Martin at Calvary Bible College in Kansas City, Missouri.

Bowlin described how a hungry Martin and Gracia shared their food during captivity with the younger members of the Abu Sayyaf, many of whom were only children - children with guns - "because they were hungry, too."

Roxana Hegeman, an Associated Press Writer noted that Bowling told how people around the world prayed for the Burnhams' release. "Gracia told him that He (the Lord) brought her home by helicopter and brought Martin by angels' wings." His family believes that he is now in the heavenly home of Jesus Christ, who Martin Burnham considered to be his Lord and Savior.

Residents, friends and family have set up a Martin & Gracia Burnham Benefit Fund for donations to help Gracia and her children. Donations can be send to: Martin & Gracia Burnham Benefit Fund, C/O: Rose Hill Bank, P.O. Box 68, Rose Hill, KS 67133. Burnham Family Trust C/O: Valley View Bank, 7500 W. 95th Street. Family e-mails can be sent to New Tribes Mission at [email protected].