'Martin Burnham Missions Center' opens in Philippines

'Martin Burnham Missions Center' opens in Philippines

The legacy of Christian missionary Martin Burnham, who died at the hands of Muslim extremists nearly five years ago, lives on with the recent completion of a project by New Tribes Mission. Martin and his wife, Gracia Burnham, were kidnapped by Muslim terrorists in 2001 in the Philippines.

The couple were held for more than a year before the military launched an operation to rescue them. Martin was killed during a rescue attempt in June 2002. Gracia was injured, but returned to the United States.

Now, New Tribes Mission has completed the five-story Martin Burnham Missions Center in Manila. The facility will serve as a training center and also a retreat for missionaries with the ministry.

Gracia Burnham says the center is proof that God can bring blessings from tragic circumstances. "When we were in the jungle," she recalls, "Martin and I used to say, 'Boy, we have ruined things for our mission here. No one's going to want to come to the Philippines and work here.' And isn't it just like the Lord to use what we deemed a tragedy to bring about something that's going to be really useful for his kingdom?"

The widow of Martin Burnham says she and others at New Tribes Mission "just hope the center will be this huge blessing in years to come." The building of this new and important resource in Manila, she points out, "has been such a neat thing to see."

The Martin Burnham Missions Center was built with donations from Philippine businesspeople, Gracia notes. "It was businessmen in Manila and Filipinos who were just very touched with our story and who followed our story closely and who prayed," she says, "and they wanted to do something in honor of Martin. So they've done this mission center, and it's just really exciting."

Gracia Burnham says missionaries will be able to take part in training in the center, while others will use the facility for rest and relaxation.