The death of a missionary is felt by every Church member in a deep and personal way, Elder David F. Evans, Executive Director of the Church’s Missionary Department, said today. He was commenting on the fact that ten young missionaries serving around the world have died from accident or illness over the course of this year. The latest serious accident occurred in Idaho yesterday – a road accident which left a young missionary hospitalized and on life support.
“For the Church and particularly for the families of these missionaries who have lost their lives we know that the loss of even one missionary is far too many,” Elder Evans said. “To these remarkable families we extend our love, our faith, our hope and our prayers. And we pray that peace and comfort will be yours during these times of sorrow."
Elder Evans said that, gratefully, these occurrences are rare, and missionary work is inherently safe. The mortality rate for missionaries is significantly less than those in their same age group in the general population.