‘Brennan Was Beaming With The Light Of Christ,’ Family Speaks After Missionary’s Death

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – This week an 18 year-old missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints died after falling from a roof.

A church spokesman said Elder Brennan Conrad of Hyde Park, Utah had been serving in the Dominican Republic since August of 2018.

Today Elder Conrad’s family released a statement to the media calling the death heartbreaking.

“Brennan was a great nephew, uncle, son, grandson, brother and friend to all those he came in contact with,” said Hailey Conrad, sister-in-law and family spokesperson.

The family, through Hailey Conrad’s statement, expressed gratitude for community support they’ve seen since the news.

“As a family, we have received an outpouring of love, thoughts and prayers. We are eternally grateful for the prayers and kind messages sent from around the world. We have felt peace and the love from our Lord, Jesus Christ, during this challenging time.”

The family expressed gratitude that they were able to video-chat with Brennan just two days before his passing. This happened due to a recent change by the church leadership to allow more frequent communication between missionaries and their families.

A GoFundMe* account has been set up for those wishing to help the family in Brennan’s memory.

The full family statement:

We were very heartbroken to hear about our sweet missionary, Elder Brennan Conrad, passing away on Wednesday. Brennan was a great nephew, uncle, son, grandson, brother and friend to all those he came in contact with. He was serving as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo East Mission. Brennan was a dedicated missionary from the moment he was set apart. He loved serving our Lord, Jesus Christ and told us he’s never been happier in his entire life. He also repeatedly expressed his sincere love for the people in the Dominican Republic. In his five months as a missionary, he worked diligently and truly made us proud.

One week before his passing, he was fortunate enough to receive a package from his family with handwritten letters, as he had requested. The Monday prior to his passing, we received another the tender mercy of being able to video chat with Brennan. It was a blessing we were all together as family and Brennan had the capability of calling us. Brennan was beaming with the Light of Christ and smiling from ear to ear as he talked with us. This is a precious memory we will keep with us throughout this life and a great way to remember who he was! During his video chat and throughout his mission, he often repeated his motto, “Let’s go!!” In Spanish, he would say, “Vamos!!” We will remember him by these words and how his whole face lit up, each time he said them. This phrase was his way of expressing his desire and excitement to keep moving forward, even when times get rough.

As a family, we have received an outpouring of love, thoughts and prayers. We are eternally grateful for the prayers and kind messages sent from around the world. We have felt peace and the love from our Lord, Jesus Christ, during this challenging time. We know that our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, are here with their arms wrapped around us. We know he is here with us during this hard time and will be in heaven cheering us on, throughout our lives. We are grateful to be members of the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints and have the knowledge that families are together forever. We know we will get to hug our sweet angel Brennan again one day.

We love you so much, Brennan. God be with you til we meet again.

*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.