Wichita — Gracia Burnham's friends have always done something big for her birthday, and this year is no different.
But this time there are no plans for a party, just prayers prayers they hope will bring the hostage missionary and her husband, Martin, home.
The Burnhams have been captives of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in the Philippines since May.
As friends wait hopefully for the Burnhams' rescue or release, they've decided to organize a prayer and fast campaign for the Wichita couple.
The campaign will run from Monday through Jan. 17, Gracia Burnham's birthday. The organizers planned to contact local churches to spread the word.
In a news release, Burnham's friends called for the faithful to pray and fast during the 10-day period. If the Burnhams remain captive on Jan. 17, the campaign calls for a national prayer vigil that day, said Kathy Ryff, one of the organizers.
The couple's family is "worn out," Ryff said. But, she added, they are encouraged by the recent visit by Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., to the Philippines to plead their case.
However, Ryff said, the Burnhams' case has been largely ignored by the country at large.
The rescue of two other Christian missionaries, Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry, from Afghanistan in November got more attention, even though the Burnhams were kidnapped solely because they were Americans, Ryff said.
"I think it's because we weren't involved in a global war, as we are with Afghanistan," Ryff said. "I do believe that there is a political overtone between our country and (the Philippines). In the meantime, Martin and Gracia are slowly dying before our eyes."
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