The death of one missionary is a grievous loss to the whole Church, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve said after a missionary in the Russia Yetakerinburg Mission was stabbed to death Oct. 17.

Elder Jose Manuel Mackintosh, 20, of Hiko, Nev., died after an attack outside the apartment of an LDS family in the community of Ufa, Russia, about 750 miles southeast of Moscow. His companion, Elder Bradley Alan Borden, also 20, of Mesa, Ariz., was wounded in the attack - suffering liver and lower intestine wounds - but is expected to make a full recovery.The two missionaries had just left the apartment when they met a group of drunken men loitering in the lobby of the building. They initially got past the group and ran outside, but the men caught up with them, killing Elder Mackintosh and wounding Elder Borden. Elder Mackintosh had been serving in Russia since September 1997 and Elder Borden since January of this year.

After the attack, the perpetrators fled, police were called and the missionaries were taken to a small hospital in Ufa, according to a press release from the Church's Public Affairs Department. Russian authorities later arrested one man believed to have been involved in the attack.

"We see this as a tragic, but nevertheless random, very isolated incident," said Elder Holland in a Church News interview, explaining that the attack should not have any effect on missionary work in Russia. "There was no pattern or premeditation in this. The elders were perfectly appropriate in their behavior and the neighborhood they were working was a safe, approved area. The elders were calling upon members. They were doing everything that a missionary ought to be doing."

The two missionaries had previously performed regular public service at the hospital in Ufa where Elder Borden was treated. The hospital staff recognized him and was especially concerned and attentive to his needs.

Elder Borden - who was able to speak to his parents over the telephone the evening of the attack - will be flown to Frankfurt, Germany, where he will be near a U.S. military hospital.

President Boyd K. Packer, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve, met with the Mackintosh family, who were in Utah at the time, and told them about the tragedy.

Elder Holland, whose administrative responsibilities include Russia, will speak at Elder Mackintosh's funeral. Elder Holland also visited the family at their home the weekend after the attack. "They are doing wonderfully well, filled with a tremendous spirit," he said. "I was deeply moved by their faith, their forgiveness and their devotion to the continuation of missionary work."

He said that even in tragedies, good things come. As a result of the experiences he has had with the family and with members of the ward and stake, he noted "my own faith has been bolstered and my own commitment has been renewed."

Elder Holland said Elder Mackintosh's parents, Jose and Rebecca Mackintosh, "were very proud to have

their sonT serving a mission. He had wanted to serve in Russia since he was 8 years old. They said, `We harbor no ill will. He wanted to serve the Lord. He was serving the Lord. He is still serving the Lord.' "

In a written statement to reporters, Sister Mackintosh said, "Our son Jose had a great love for the country and people of Russia. He has always had it. . . . The people of Russia were in his heart.

"I would like to speak to the people in Russia who knew our son. We appreciate the love and kindness you showed him. We thank you from the depths of our hearts. We express our love to all of the people of Russia. May our Father in Heaven pour out His richest and most abundant blessings upon you."

Speaking Oct. 20 with an editor of the Deseret News (which publishes the Church News), Brother and Sister Mackintosh said they are at peace. "I felt a calm acceptance," she said. "I felt sorrow, but I did not feel despair. I did not feel anger."

Elder Holland noted that challenges have come with missionary work as long as there have been missionaries - in the Book of Mormon, the Old and New Testament and today. "But it is God's work and He does watch over the work and guide and direct it."

He said the Mackintosh family has had personal experiences that indicate "the Lord was very mindful of their missionary." These experiences, he continued, have brought the young missionary's family peace and assurance that all is well.

The Church, explained Elder Holland, does not want parents of missionaries anywhere to be concerned or alarmed. "We do everything humanly possible to keep our missionaries safe, to keep them out of harm's way and to keep them well within the protective circle of mission policies and procedures."

Explaining that the attacker had a previous criminal record and was given to violent behavior, Elder Holland said the missionaries had no way to predict what would happen.

"We do not want parents or members anywhere to worry unduly about this," he said. "What we do is what we have always done: We say our prayers, live the gospel, commit to the purposes of the Lord and trust totally in Him, His will and His personal plan for each of us."

This is a terrible loss, he emphasized, "not only to the family where the loss is first, foremost and deepest . . . , but it is a loss to the whole Church. We cherish missionaries. We so love them and they are so prayed for. Everyone of them is so important to us."

Elder Holland emphasized, "This is nothing that puts our other missionaries at risk. We will continue to say our prayers and renew our strength. We will square our shoulders and continue to take the gospel to the world."

Concluding, Elder Holland noted that the only answer to such violent behavior - as was this attack on the missionaries - is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"That is why we send our missionaries out in the first place. That is why we have to keep sending them," he said. "Otherwise, there is no hope for the world. Our only hope is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"That is what Elder Mackintosh knew with all his heart and with all his soul. He loved his mission. He prepared for it. He is still on it."