Missionary killed in hit-and-run
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Elder Matthew Lawrence Knoop, a missionary in the Brazil Salvador Mission, died April 21 from injuries sustained in a hit-and-run incident a day earlier. Elder Knoop, 20, had been serving in the mission since last August 21.
He was walking on the side of a road in Catu, about two hours from Salvador in northeast Brazil, when he was hit by a car. His companion, Elder Michael William Araujo Sides from Porto Alegre, Brazil, sustained minor injuries. Elder Ryan Tirrell of Sacramento, Calif., general mission secretary, said Elder Knoop and his companion had just walked a family home from Church. "They were going to their next appointment and were excited about finding a good family to teach," he said.
Elder Knoop, from the Jeremey Ranch Ward, Park City Utah Stake, died in a hospital in Salvador while his parents, David and Kaye Knoop, were arranging to fly to Brazil.
"Our sympathy and prayers go out to Elder Knoop's parents, family members and friends at this difficult time," Robert Howell, a Church spokesman, said in a prepared statement. "We pray that the Spirit of the Lord will bring comfort, peace and healing to all of those involved."
Brazil Salvador Mission President Jarbas F. Souza told the Church News in an e-mail that Elder Knoop "was very obedient and a hard worker. Through his efforts in learning Portuguese, he was soon communicating and teaching very well. Four and a half months after his arrival in the mission field he became senior companion and district leader. After six months in his sacred mission he was called to be a trainer, one of the most important responsibilities in the mission field....Elder Knoop will always be remembered for his efforts and obedience. He was a righteous representative of Jesus Christ on this Earth. With all the love, faith, testimony and dedication that he constantly showed, we are sure he will continue his mission on the other side of the veil."
Park City Utah Stake President Scott Palmer, who acted as the family's spokesman, said that Elder Knoop "was one of the most prepared young men I've worked with. He had scholarships (he had excelled scholastically and athletically as a soccer star in high school) that could have distracted him and friends who questioned his decision to go, but he was determined to serve."
President Palmer praised the faith of his family who was immensely supportive and proud of him.
