SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has died while serving in central Africa.
Per a Tuesday news release, 21-year-old Hermann Keredjim Mwanken died Monday after a brief illness. Church officials didn’t provide any additional details about the malady.
Mwanken is from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and had been serving a mission there since November 2017.
Missions are considered a rite of passage for young members of the faith. Men serve for two years, while women go for 18 months.
Statistics from the Salt Lake City-based faith show there are currently about 65,000 missionaries serving worldwide.
