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Missions Group Says Story of American Missionary's Life and Death Has Inspired Others To Enter Mission Field

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Dr. Pam Arlund, an international team member of the Kansas City, Mo.- based missions group All Nations, appeared on Thursday afternoon's edition of CBN's Newswatch to talk about John Chau's legacy. Newswatch is seen weekdays on the CBN News Channel.  For a programming schedule, click here

This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the death of missionary John Allen Chau. 

He was trying to bring the gospel to an isolated tribe of people on the island of North Sentinel located between India and Southeast Asia. 

Chau, 27, took a ride with local fisherman to India's North Sentinel Island, which is home to a tribe of hunter-gatherers, who are cut off from the outside world.

A diary entry dated in early November 2018 chronicled how an island boy attempted to shoot him while he preached in his kayak during initial contact. The arrow hit his Bible. Authorities believe that the islanders shot and killed Chau during a later visit when he traveled to the island with the help of local fisherman.

In an interview with CBN's Newswatch Thursday, Dr. Pam Arlund, an international team member of the Kansas City, Mo.- based missions group All Nations with which Chau was affiliated, said the young man's example has inspired others to pursue missions work. 

"We are so pleased to remember John Chau and the amazing love that he had for a people he never met," Arlund said. "And so, one year after his death, we are asking ourselves how can we best honor his death and honor his service and sacrifice. So we have decided the best way is to continue to do what he did, which is to share the love of Jesus."

When CBN News asked Arlund about the safety of its missionaries, she replied, "All Nations, like all missions agencies, is constantly addressing this issue. We care about the safety of our missionaries."

"But we also have to balance that with the fact there are 7,000 people groups who have never had the chance to hear that Jesus loves them," Arlund continued. "So we're going to continue to go hard to those places where people haven't yet had the chance to hear about Him."

Arlund also said that Chau's story has inspired some people to enter the mission field. 

"All Nations has been so pleased to meet people all over the United States and all over the world who say that they just so were inspired by the way that John would willingly offer himself to Jesus in any way that Jesus would want to use him," she told CBN News. "It has led so many to pray and so many to ask themselves 'How can I help people to find out about Jesus for the first time?' It's been truly inspiring."

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of