We, the comrades of Unit 1012: The VFFDP, will remember John
Allen Chau as a Christian Martyr on December 18 and November 17 every year.
Let us remember him.
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John
Chau
(December
18, 1991 to November 17, 2018)
[PHOTO
SOURCE: https://www.krmsradio.com/u-s-missionary-killed-on-north-sentinel-island-had-missouri-ties/]
U.S.
Missionary Killed on North Sentinel Island Had Missouri Ties
NOVEMBER 22, 2018 BY
An American killed in a bow-and-arrow attack by a secluded tribe on an
Indian Ocean island had ties to the Show-Me-State. 27-year old John Chau
was apparently working for a group called All Nations that trains missionaries
and sends them around the globe to spread their religious beliefs. All
Nations is based in Kansas City. They issued a statement Wednesday saying
they are mourning Chau’s death and that they’re working to confirm the
circumstances with authorities in the United States and overseas. Chau is
believed to have been killed in an attack on North Sentinel Island.
Visits to the island are illegal due in part to the secluded and often violent
attitude by the local tribesmen toward outsiders. The seven fishermen who
escorted Chau to the island have been arrested.
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In November 2018, John Allen Chau, a 26-year-old American missionary trained and sent by Missouri-based missionary organization All Nations, travelled illegally to North Sentinel Island by paying local fishermen, intending to make contact with and live among the Sentinelese in the hope of converting them to Christianity. Indian authorities said Chau had only an ordinary tourist visa and had not sought the special permission required to visit the restricted island.On 15 November, Chau attempted his first visit by the fishing boat that took him around 500–700 metres (1,600–2,300 ft) from the shore. The fishermen warned Chau not to go farther, but he continued alone in a canoe with a Bible to the shore. As he approached the island, he saw the islanders and attempted to communicate with them, shouting: "My name is John, I love you and Jesus loves you." He later recorded in his journal that he had greeted them and attempted to offer gifts, but they continued to approach him and he hurriedly retreated in his canoe.On further visits, Chau recorded that the islanders reacted to him with a mixture of amusement, bewilderment and hostility. He attempted to sing worship songs to them, and spoke to them in Xhosa, after which they often fell silent, while other attempts to communicate ended with them bursting into laughter. He recorded that they communicated with "lots of high pitched sounds" and gestures. Eventually, when he tried to hand over fish and gifts, a boy shot a metal-headed arrow that pierced the Bible Chau was holding in front of his chest, and he left the island.On his final visit, on 17 November, Chau instructed the fishermen to leave without him. The fishermen later saw the islanders dragging Chau's body, and the next day they saw his body on the shore.The Washington Post obtained Chau's journal, which stated that he had a clear desire to convert the tribe and was aware of the risk of death he faced and of the illegality of his visits to the island. Chau wrote "Lord, is this island Satan's last stronghold where none have heard or even had the chance to hear your name?", "The eternal lives of this tribe is at hand", and "I think it's worthwhile to declare Jesus to these people. Please do not be angry at them or at God if I get killed ...Don’t retrieve my body."Police subsequently arrested seven fishermen for assisting Chau to get close to the restricted island. Chau's death is being treated as a murder but there has been no suggestion that the Sentinelese could be charged. Human rights group Survival International said it was possible that Chau had infected the tribe with pathogens to which they have no immunity, "with the potential to wipe out the entire tribe".Indian officials made several attempts to recover Chau's body, but on 28 November decided to abandon those efforts. An anthropologist involved in the case told The Guardian that the risk of a dangerous clash between investigators and the islanders was too great to justify any further attempts.
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John
Chau
(December
18, 1991 to November 17, 2018)
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'Please do not
be mad at them or at God if I get killed': American Christian missionary's
letter to his family and journal entries written ON the remote Indian island
where he planned to convert tribe members who then shot him dead with arrows
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John Allen Chau, 26, was shot dead with
arrows when he went to the remote North Sentinel Island last week
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It is one of the world's most isolated
regions in India's Andaman islands and is off-limits to visitors
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Chau had paid local fishermen to help him get
to the island last Thursday
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He was shot at but safely able to return to the
boat where he penned a letter to his parents and several journal entries about
his initial encounter
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Chau detailed how he was committed to
teaching the tribe about Jesus
·
In a letter dated November 16, Chau asked his
parents not to be mad at the tribe or at God if he was killed
·
After he returned to the island the following
day, fishermen said they saw the tribesmen dragging Chau's body away
·
Scroll down to read Chau's full journal entries
and letters
An American
missionary who was shot dead with arrows by a tribe he wanted to convert on a
remote Indian island wrote a letter to his parents asking them not to be 'mad
at them or at God' if he was killed.
John Allen
Chau, 26, was shot dead with arrows last week by tribesman when he arrived at
North Sentinel Island - one of the world's most isolated regions in India's
Andaman islands that is off-limits to visitors.
He had paid
local fishermen to take him there before venturing alone in a kayak to the
shore on November 15. Chau was shot by the Sentinelese tribe after
arriving on the island, according to a fisherman who helped him get there.
Chau was able
to safely return to the boat but made his way back to the island the following
day, which is when the fishermen said they later saw the tribe dragging his
body away.
Indian
officials said they are now working with anthropologists to recover his body.
DailyMail.com
has since obtained the letter Chau wrote to his parents, as well as several
journal entries, he penned prior to his death that detail how he was committed
to teaching the tribe about Jesus.
'You
guys might think I'm crazy in all this but I think it's worth it to declare
Jesus to these people,' he wrote in the letter to his parents.
'Please
do not be angry at them or at God if I get killed.
'Rather
please live your lives in obedience to whatever he has called you to and I'll
see you again when you pass through the veil. This is not a pointless
thing - the eternal lives of this tribe is at hand and I can't wait to see them
around the throne of God worshiping in their own language as Revelations 7:9-10
states.
'I
love you all and I pray none of you love anything in this world more than Jesus
Christ.'
Chau signed
off the letter with his name and 'Soli Deo gloria', which is Latin for
Glory to God alone. The letter is dated November 16, which is one day
after the fishermen said they first took him to the island.
Dependera
Pathak, director-general of police on India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said
Chau organized his visit to the island through a friend who hired seven
fishermen for $325 to take him there on a boat, which also towed his kayak.
Two armed Sentinelese came rushing out yelling. They had two arrows each, unstrung, until they got closer. I hollered 'My name is John, I love you and Jesus loves you'.John Chau's journal entry after making contact with the tribe
He went
ashore in his kayak on November 15 and sent the boat with the fishermen out to
sea to avoid detection. Chau interacted with some of the tribespeople, offering
gifts such as a football and fish but they became angry and shot an arrow at
him, hitting a book he was carrying.
After his
kayak was damaged, Chau swam back to the fishermen's boat, which was waiting at
a prearranged location. He spent the night writing about his experiences on
journal pages that he then gave the fishermen.
He set out
again to meet the tribespeople on November 16 and never returned. Pathak
said the following day the fishermen watched from a distance as the tribesmen
dragged Chau's body away.
Chau's
journal entries - dated between November 14 to 16 - have shed some light on
what occurred when he first arrived at the island, including how he initially
panicked when he saw the tribe's bows.
He detailed
how he tried to offer fish to the tribesmen before 'two armed Sentinelese came
rushing out yelling'. He said he came face to face with the islanders and
at one point was 'just inches' away.
'They
had two arrows each, unstrung, until they got closer. I hollered "My name
is John, I love you and Jesus loves you",' he wrote.
'I
regret I began to panic slightly as I saw them string arrows in their bows. I
picked up the fish and threw it toward them. They kept coming.
'I
paddled like I never have in my life back to the boat. I felt some fear but
mainly was disappointed. They didn't accept me right away. '
He
later wrote: 'Well, I've been shot by the Sentinelese… By a kid probably about
10 or so years old, maybe a teenager, short compared to those who looked like
adults.
Describing
the attack, Chau said: a 'little kid shot me with an arrow - directly into my
Bible which I was holding.
'If
you want me to get actually shot or even killed with an arrow then so be it. I
think I could be more useful alive though…
'I
don't want to die! Would it be wiser to leave and let someone else continue?
No. I don't think so. I still could make it back to the US somehow as it almost
seems like certain death to stay here.
'God,
I don't want to die. WHO WILL TAKE MY PLACE IF I DO? OH GOD I miss my
parents...
'Why
did a little kid have to shoot me today?.. Father, forgive him and any of the
people on this island who try to kill me...'
He
appeared to detail the moment he was initially shot at, saying: 'I heard the
whoops and shouts from the hunt. I made sure to stay out of arrow range, but
unfortunately that meant I was also out of good hearing range.
'So
I got a little closer as they (about 6 from what I could see) yelled at me, I
tried to parrot their words back to them. They burst out laughing most of the
time, so they probably were saying bad words or insulting me.
'They
were also yelling into the forest behind the hut which they made in drumming
sound, if I can recall. Perhaps their men were away which would explain why the
only ones yelling at me looked fairly juvenile.'
He
wrote: 'I spotted one man wearing a white crown or something (flowers maybe?)
on his head and he also took a seemingly leadership stance... yelled at me.
Leadership stance meaning he climbed atop the tallest coral rock to yell.'
Indian police
said a murder case had been registered against 'unknown tribesmen', while seven
people - the fishermen who took him to the island - have been arrested in
connection with Chau's death.
The
Sentinelese who killed Chau can't be prosecuted as contact with them and
several tribes on the islands is illegal in a bid to protect their indigenous
way of life and shield them from diseases.
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The
Chau family posted this statement regarding his death on his Instagram account
on Wednesday November 21, 2018
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'Please do not be angry at them': John Chau's letter to his parents
You guys might think I'm crazy in all this but I think it's worth it to declare Jesus to these people.Please do not be angry at them or at God if I get killed.Rather please live you lives in obedience to whatever he has called you to and I'll see you again when you pass through the veil.This is not a pointless thing - the eternal lives of this tribe is at hand and I can't wait to see them around the throne of God worshiping in their own language as Revelations 7:9-10 states.I love you all and I pray none of you love anything in this world more than Jesus Christ.'Soli Deo gloria.
One of Chau's
friends revealed to DailyMail.com that he was 'committed' to travelling to the
remote island, deep in the Indian Ocean, to preach Christianity to the tribesmen
and had been planning the trip for at least three years.
Neil MacLeod,
of Stornaway, Scotland, said he met Chau on a flight from London to Phoenix,
Arizona, in October 2015.
'I
saw him reading some Christian literature and I'm a Christian and we
started talking,' he said.
MacLeod, 47,
said Chau told him he had recently returned from India and was trying to figure
out how to travel to the remote North Sentinel Island in the Bay of
Bengal.
'He
mentioned that he wanted to go to these islands, the islands where he has now
died,' MacLeod said. 'I
had heard of these islands and I know how dangerous they are, so I was
surprised by that.
'He recognized the dangers of
travelling there, but I think he had a sense of call. This was something
he was working on for three years. He was committed to going there. In his
view, he was trying to help these people.
'There are islands that are nearby
and he was making relationships and connections to help him get to the
islands.'
Since the flight, MacLeod said he had emailed back
and forth with Chau, who he described as 'magnetic'
and 'charming.'
'He was a lovely character and wanted
to help people. The thing that came across was what a delight it was to be in
his company.
'He was such a warm and engaging and
friendly kind of fellow. You might have an idea of what a missionary might be
like, he was a million miles from that. I think he's a real loss. I'm just
very sorry about what has happened.'
MacLeod said Chau was based in Portland,
Washington, and working as an EMT at the time. He said he had helped during
major incidents, including in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
'He was a free wheel so he would go
to incidents, like major incidents around the world and look to help,' he said. He had worked with FEMA when he went
down to Katrina. He was working there. He's worked in some pretty rough
places.'
If you want me to get actually shot or even killed with an arrow then so be it. I think I could be more useful alive though…John Chau in his journal entry
He also paid
tribute to Chau on Twitter, writing: 'He readily
spoke of his calling to serve the Sentinelese. His calling came from a higher
authority. He died a servant of the Lord. Saddened by his loss. He was a
lovely guy.'
Others
flocked to Chau's Instagram to pay tribute, with one friend writing: 'You were a real explorer out to understand the
boundaries of terrestrial human travels.
'Those
boundaries are seemingly electric at first touch... and you were the first to
touch.'
Another
added: 'So proud of you John. You are a true hero
and it was such an honor to know you. Thank you for your obedience and passion,
it's inspiring.'
A police
source told Reuters that Chau was a preacher who had visited the nearby Andaman
and Nicobar islands in the past. Police have learned he had a strong
desire to meet the Sentinelese and preach on the island
Chau was a
Christian missionary who wanted to interact with members of the Sentinelese tribe,
according to International Christian Concern.
William
Stark, ICC's regional manager, paid tribute to Chau and condemned his killing.
'We here at International Christian Concern are extremely concerned by the reports of an American missionary being murdered in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands.'Our thoughts and prayers go out to both John's family and friends. A full investigation must be launched in this this murder and those responsible must be brought to justice. India must take steps to counter the growing wave of intolerance and violence.'
Police launched an investigation after
they were contacted by the US consulate in the southern city of Chennai, which
had been in touch with Chau's mother.
A spokeswoman for the US consulate in Chennai said:
'We are aware of reports concerning a US citizen in the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
'When a US citizen is missing, we work
closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts,' she
added, but declined to provide further details over privacy concerns.
Chau's Instagram shows he spent much of his time
travelling and he documented his exploits on a blog called The Rugged Trail.
His last post on Instagram was shared on November
2. Alongside a series of pictures taken in the jungle, he wrote: 'Adventure
awaits. So do leeches.'
Chau also spoke about his passion for travel in an
interview with The Outbound Collective in 2014.
When asked where was on his 'must-do
adventure list,' he said:
'Going back to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in
India is on the top - there's so much to see and do there!'
He also revealed his personal motto was: 'Make the most of every good opportunity today because
you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow!'
Speaking about his inspirations, he said:
'Adventurers like John Muir, Bruce Olson, and David Livingston inspire me to go
travel and explore, and I definitely get my inspiration for life from
Jesus.'
Meanwhile, Survival International, a
London-based organization that has been campaigning to protect the indigenous
tribes living in the Andamans, called Chau's death a 'tragedy' that should
'never have been allowed to happen.'
The group's international director, Stephen Corry,
said: 'This tragedy should never have been
allowed to happen. The Indian authorities should have been enforcing the
protection of the Sentinelese and their island for the safety of both the
tribe, and outsiders.
'Instead, a few months ago the
authorities lifted one of the restrictions that had been protecting the
Sentinelese tribe's island from foreign tourists, which sent exactly the wrong
message, and may have contributed to this terrible event.'
He added: 'It's not impossible
that the Sentinelese have just been infected by deadly pathogens to which they
have no immunity, with the potential to wipe out the entire tribe.
'The Sentinelese have shown again and
again that they want to be left alone, and their wishes should be respected.'
INTERNET
SOURCE: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6415649/Christian-missionarys-letter-family-killed.html
..... ….. https://www.facebook.com/VictimsFamiliesForTheDeathPenalty/posts/1818414158280542
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And when they
had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they
were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God
with boldness. – Acts 4:31 (ESV)
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Burial of the Dead 1662ALMIGHTY God, with whom do live the spirits of them that depart hence in the Lord, and with whom the souls of the faithful, after they are delivered from the burden of the flesh, are in joy and felicity: We give thee hearty thanks, for that it hath pleased thee to deliver this our brother out of the miseries of this sinful world; beseeching thee that it may please thee, of thy gracious goodness, shortly to accomplish the number of thine elect, and to hasten thy kingdom; that we, with all those that are departed in the true faith of thy holy Name, may have our perfect consummation and bliss, both in body and soul, in thy eternal and everlasting glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
OTHER LINKS:
John Allen Chau and the ethics of Christian
Missions
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