- June 19, 2026
Three local young adults will soon be embarking on mission trips through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Keila Brouse, 19; Riley Boyce, 17; and Connor Ladd, 18.
Each received a letter from the president of the church, letting them know their assigned areas. Opening the letters was a dramatic moment for each, as they knew they could be assigned anywhere in the world. As it turned out, each was assigned a different mission in Brazil.
Prior to the missionaries serving in their assigned areas, they will be spending time at a Missionary Training Center, which includes language instruction.
Brouse is in the Bunnell Ward of the church and will soon begin her training in Utah. In July, she will then report to the mission in Maceio, Brazil, where she will be assigned a companion and sent out to teach the gospel.
“I’m looking forward to meeting the people” Brouse said. “... I’ve honestly been thinking about them a lot, and it was really exciting when I got my mission call, because I could not maybe put a face to who I was praying for, but at least put a name to it.”
Brouse is a 2025 Matanzas High School graduate. During her time at Matanzas, She began taking college courses under Florida’s dual enrollment program at Daytona State College, and has already obtained her associate degree.
Beginning in August 2025, Brouse began taking classes to go toward her bachelor’s degree at Brigham Young University, in Utah, and she returned home from school about a month ago, as she prepared for the upcoming mission.
She plans to finish her degree at BYU following her 18-month mission. Brouse is a biology pre-med major, and also plans to attend med school to study ophthalmology or eye surgery.
Speaking of her mission, she said: “I’m not going there for my benefit; I’m going there to help them in any way that they need.”
Boyce attends the Daytona Beach Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He will soon begin his MTC experience at home, on Sept. 16, and will move to Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Oct. 1, to continue his training, in Portuguese. Boyce will then embark in the mission field on Oct. 28. His mission will last for two years and will take place in Londrina, Brazil.
“I’m mostly excited, because we’re preaching the gospel; I’ll be talking to a lot of people about their lives and their hardships that they’re going through and how to help them,” Boyce said.
Boyce is a recent high school graduate, having completed his homeschooling classes this past February. He was able to finish high school a bit early due to taking on a heavier course load through Florida Virtual School’s Flex program.
When Boyce returns from his mission, he plans to attend college, and has thought about possibly attending the BYU campus in either Idaho or Hawaii. Boyce says he is undecided on what to study, but hopes his future path will be laid out more visibly through his mission.
“Those two years of learning to talk to people and explain to them that there’s a God and Jesus Christ that loves you on this earth forever,” Boyce said. “They’re the same yesterday as they are today and tomorrow, and they will forever love you; that will never change, nothing you do can change that.”
Boyce says he is extremely eager to begin assisting others through his mission.
Ladd is in the Palm Coast Ward of the church and begins his MTC training on Aug. 26. He will be embarking to Brazil on Sept. 10, and his mission will last for two years. The city he has been assigned to is Recife, Brazil.
When asked what Ladd hopes to get out of his mission the most, he said, “I really hope that it leads me to be less of a procrastinator; I don’t want to procrastinate as much, and want to be more focused and driven with the stuff I do.”
Ladd is a 2026 graduate from Flagler Palm Coast High School. When he returns from his mission, he plans on attending college to study engineering.
Ladd has thought about possibly attending the Arizona or Daytona Beach Embry-Riddle campus.
“When I get to Brazil, I think I’m going to try to entirely focus on being as obedient as I can to the Lord, and then I’ll allow him to put the people in my path who need me at that moment,” Ladd said.
“My parents have really cool stories from their missions and learning languages and everything; I’ve always wanted to be able to go off on an adventure that will teach me a lot of great things.”
