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SALT LAKE CITY -- Families and friends heard the news of the accident last night. Despite deep personal grief, each family is thinking of and praying for the other.
One of the missionaries, Elder Trevor Strong, had actually completed his mission and would have been home but had asked to stay for a few more weeks because, his bishop says, he loved the people of Texas.
News of Elder Trevor Strong's death came as shock to his friends. They were excited to have him come home in a couple of weeks, but all the plans they had made were gone in an instant.
Brianne Bird and her twin sister, Brittany Harris, shared a special bond with Strong. He was also a twin. Shannon Carlson and her sister had that connection too. The group was known as the Trio of Duos.
"We grew up together. We were really close friends. I've known him my whole life," Carlson said.
Strong was part of another group, one made up of young men who called themselves "The Brotherhood". They were a tight circle of friends who lived in the same neighborhood.
"They all just did everything together. It was just a group of guys that just spent all their time together, and they were very close," Bird said.
Friends say, Strong was a fun, loving guy, dedicated to his faith. He would have recently completed his mission but chose to extend it for three more weeks.
That doesn't surprise Jen Amitoelau, who served with Strong when he first arrived at the McAllen, Texas mission. She says, Strong, who was over six feet tall, was a spiritual giant. "Elder Strong, obviously his name says it all, he was a strong missionary," she said.
She added, "He's very happy. When he walked into the room, everybody knew he was there, not only because of his height but because of his personality and the way that he is."
Friends say they kept up with Strong's mission work on his blog. They were looking forward to his homecoming, Thanksgiving week.
"We wanted to hear his stories ‘cause he was just a fun, outgoing person," Bird said.
Now they're celebrating his life, one that was short-lived but full of purpose.
Strong's parents did not want to make a public statement. They told me they were picking up Strong's twin brother from the airport Wednesday night. He was serving a mission in Arizona.
Driver in fatal hit-and-run of LDS missionaries surrenders
The driver in a Texas crash that killed two LDS missionaries and injured a third turned himself in at the port of entry at Progreso, Texas overnight.Twenty-year-old Elder Derek Walker's parents live in Fairfield, Idaho. They heard about their son's death minutes before friends heard it on the news. Jason Walker says his four younger children looked up to their big brother.
"He was a tremendous individual, well liked, well loved, smiled a lot and just loved life," Jason Walker said.
Elder Walker had been serving in the McAllen, Texas mission for a little more than a year. His father said Elder Walker loved being a missionary. He told us that he and his wife are thinking of the Strong family in Taylorsville.
"Our hearts sure go out to them, and to Elder Harris who survived and who we still hope the best for," Jason Walker said.
Church leaders released the following statement regarding the deaths:
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the missionaries involved in this tragic incident. We pray that they will be comforted as they mourn the loss of their loved ones, who served others selflessly as missionaries."
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