If you have ever been to a large city, it’s likely that you have encountered individuals who try to persuade you to join their religion. Some advocates even go from door to door to recruit new members, making this a fairly common occurrence in many areas.

However, the situation was quite different for John Allen Chau in 2018, when he attempted to convert the inhabitants of an isolated island in the Indian Ocean to Christianity. Chau was raised in a Christian household in Vancouver, Washington, and had a love for hiking, camping, and exploring new places.

He regularly documented his experiences online, and after returning from a trip to Mexico in high school gave a homily in which he said Christians ‘need to know how to defend our faith’.

On a regular basis, he shared his experiences online. In a homily he gave after returning from a trip to Mexico in high school, he expressed that Christians “must learn to defend our faith.”

“He emphasized the need for Christians to be prepared for opposition when engaging with others in the world. According to Chau, people may pose questions and arguments, and hence, it is essential to know what one believes and why.

During his high school days, Chau learned about the Sentinelese, a group of hunter-gatherers who reside on North Sentinel Island and are among the world’s last uncontacted peoples. The island is strictly off-limits to visitors without permission.

Despite the danger, Chau embarked on a mission to the island in November 2018. He informed his parents of his intention to “declare Jesus” to the inhabitants, asking them not to be angry with God or the residents if he were to be killed.

Chau attempted to make contact with the Sentinelese people and managed to reach the island. He recorded his experiences in a diary and revealed that he offered gifts of fish and a football.”

In an attempt to contact the Sentinelese people, Chau called out to them, “My name is John, I love you and Jesus loves you.” However, upon seeing the islanders preparing their bows and arrows, he grew panicked and threw a fish at them before fleeing back to his boat, paddling as hard as he could.

Chau had paid a group of fishermen to take him near the island, but shortly after arriving, he was apparently hit and killed by arrows. A police statement later revealed that the fishermen saw someone being buried on the shore and believed it was Chau.

After Chau’s death, his family posted on Instagram, expressing their forgiveness for his killers and describing Chau as a beloved member of their family and a Christian missionary.