The Americans killed by Somali pirates this week, were on a mission trip to hand out Bibles.

Jean and Scott Adams and Philis Macay and Bob Riggle were overtaken by pirates on Friday. When U.S forces reached their yacht, they discovered all four had been shot to death.

According to a report by CNN, the four were taking donated Bibles and distributing them to people in the Pacific who were unfamiliar with The Gospel.

The Adams’ had a website that chronicled their mission trips to China, Cambodia, Panama and New Zealand. They wrote that the Bibles were often used by the teachers who received them, to teach English.