An American Christian missionary killed by members of one tribe was a martyr, say friends

Chau, who according to the Indian authorities is 27, came to India with a tourist visa but went to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in October to proselytize, according to Dependra Pathak, director general of the islands police. Andaman and Nicobar.

"We refuse to call him a tourist." Yes, he came with a tourist visa, but he came for a specific purpose to preach on a forbidden island, "he said.

A little more than a dozen people live on the island, which is a protected area. People are not allowed to travel within 5 nautical miles of the island after cases of aggressive behavior toward strangers. In 2006, the tribe member killed two local fishermen.

Chau asked a friend in the area, an electronics engineer, to take a boat and find several fishermen and an expert in water sports to help with the expedition, according to Pathak.

The fishermen said they used "a wooden boat equipped with engines to get to the island on November 15," said Pathak.

The boat stopped at just under a kilometer and Chau "used a canoe to reach the coast of the island," Pathak said. Chau returned later in the day with arrow injuries. On November 16th, "the tribes broke his canoe".

"Then he came back to the boat while swimming, he did not come back on the 17th, and the fishermen then saw the members of the tribe dragging their body," Pathak said.

The police did not independently check Chau's death, but they think he was killed, according to the fishermen's story. The authorities have not yet found Chau's body.

& # 39; He loved Jesus & # 39;

According to his article, he and his brother painted their faces with wild blackberry juice and ran in their garden with bows and spears.

Chau is a graduate of Roberts Oral University, where he is involved in Covenant Journey, a Christian ministry that trains immersion students in Israel, said Mat Staver, founder and chairman of the group.

Chau went to Israel with Covenant Journey and South Africa for missions with a group of Oral Roberts University, Staver said in an interview.

"John loved people and loved Jesus and was willing to give his life to share Jesus with the people of North Sentinel Island," Staver said in a press release. "Since high school, John wanted to go to North Sentinel to share Jesus with this Aboriginal people."

In the Outward Collective article, Chau talked about his adventures, including climbing Table Mountain in the state of Washington during the Christmas holidays.

Chau said his return to the Andman and Nicobar Islands was at the top of his to-do list in the adventure, the article said.

Chau knew the risks, but "it did not scare him"

Chau has not disclosed to the police his intention to travel to North Sentinel to try to convert its inhabitants, officials said. But he told a few people close to him, like Ramsey, who said that Chau knew that the island was a restricted area and that his mission was illegal.

Ramsey, who met Chau in August 2015 during a Covenant trip to Israel, said that they "were passionate about sharing our faith with others."

When Chau returned from his scouting trip, Ramsey remembered that Chau had spoken of his intention to return to the remote area with gifts. He said he wanted to know the way of life of the islanders, finally share the gospel and perhaps translate the Bible, Ramsey recalled.

"I kind of figured out that he would have been willing to stay there all his life, but he did not explicitly say that," Ramsey said.

Ramsey said Chau knew the risks, "but that does not seem to scare him."

"He believed that he would go to heaven, he would be with God if he died," Ramsey said.

Because of this, Chau did not want anyone to come with him on the island and put his life at risk, Staver said.

"He came home knowing that he would be in danger," Staver said.

Survival International, a non-governmental group dedicated to the rights of tribal peoples, said Indian authorities should ensure that foreigners do not contact the tribe because of the risk of disease or threat to their land.

"The Sentinels have shown time and time again that they want to be alone and that their wishes should be respected," the group said. "The British colonial occupation of the Andaman Islands decimated the tribes who lived there, wiping out thousands of tribesmen.A mere fraction of the original population survived.The fear of the aliens by the Sentinels is so completely understandable. "

& # 39; This faith is worth dying for & # 39;

In an article on his Instagram page, Chau's relatives said, "He loved God, life, helping those in need, and had only love for the Sentinels."

They remembered him as a beloved member of his family and "a Christian missionary, an EMT of nature, an international football coach, and a professional. a mountaineer. "

For Ramsey, Chau is a modern-day Jim Elliot – an evangelical Christian killed on a mission to Ecuador in the 1950s – and could reach more people dead than in life.

"It may make the world believe that this faith is worth the death, I suppose," Ramsey said.