SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A Utah teen serving as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints died after being hit by a vehicle in Georgia, the church said Sunday.
Elder McKay Bergeson, 19, of Bountiful, Utah, was riding his bicycle when he was hit near LaFayette, Georgia, church spokesperson Daniel Woodruff said. The person he was riding with was not hurt, he said.
Bergeson had been serving as a missionary with the Tennessee Knoxville mission since December, Woodruff said.
“We express our sympathy and heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones as they mourn his passing and remember his life. We pray they will feel the love of our Heavenly Father at this difficult time,” Woodruff said.
The church’s proselytizing missions are an integral part of the religion and considered rites of passages for young members. Men serve two years while women serve 18 months.
____
This story has been changed to correct the spelling of Bergeson’s first name to McKay.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.