Gracia Burnham to write book

? A missionary held hostage in the Philippines for more than a year before the rescue operation in which her husband was killed plans to write a book about her experiences as a captive.

Gracia Burnham will tell about the time she and her husband, Martin, were hostages of the Abu Sayyaf rebels. The book will be published next spring by Tyndale House Publishers, Nancy Guthrie, who is handling Burnham’s media relations, said Monday.

The Burnhams, from nearby Rose Hill, and Filipina nurse Ediborah Yap were the last hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf rebels after a kidnapping spree that stretched for more than a year. The rescue attempt June 7 left Martin Burnham and Yap dead, along with four rebels. Gracia Burnham, shot through the thigh, was rescued and returned to the United States.

The Burnhams became the object of international media and political attention as diplomatic efforts toward their rescue failed.

“I want to tell the real story of our captivity about our ordeal, about how it affected our relationship with each other and with God,” Burnham said.

Until the book is released, Burnham will do no interviews with news organizations, Guthrie said.