The following is from FamilySearch: SALT LAKE CITY, UTAHElder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his wife, Susan Gong, will be the featured keynote speakers for Family Discovery Day at RootsTech 2023. Currently, he is the fourteenth most senior apostle in the church.[6]. Elder Gong was on my list of best case scenarios. That means not only that he has experience with multiple cultures, it also means that his grandchildren will likely be raised in the same country where he lives, which means that it will be a little easier for him and his wife to spend time with them as present and well known grandparents. That our interactions would be nitpicked to brand us as avatars of ideologies, Gong writes on a Facebook post. The church desperately needed someone who represented Latin and South American saints symbolically and with experience in the 12. Its most likely that any individual called into the Q12 is pretty socially conservative. Although the family had provided the sketch, paint and brushes, something had shifted. Enter your email address to follow BCC and receive new posts by email. Thank you Jason K. You make an excellent point. Even at school, Gong, who easily passed as straight, grew increasingly silent, afraid of hugs and falling in love. No registration is required. Of his new assignment, Elder Gong said it was overwhelming to have President Nelson tenderly take my hands in his and extend a call to the apostleship. Revelation: 2 Y Magazine is published four times a year by Brigham Young University for graduates and friends. . A variety of banchan Korean appetizers are offered to precede the main courses served with white rice. Mormons across the globe cheered the /">appointment in March of two apostles who seemed to represent the faith's growing diversity</a> Gerrit W. Gong, a Chinese-American, and Ulisses Soares . In the April 2022 General Conference, Elder Gerrit W. Gong said, " [W]e each have a story. Members of Elder Gerrit W. Gong's family and the army of street children they enlisted to help them paint the scene stood back and examined the work. This is a grandly unique perspective on this appointment that I had not known, nor considered until reading your article. Latter-day Saint apostle Gerrit W. Gong speaks to members of the media in Salt Lake City in June 2018. Elder Gerrit W. Gong, the first Asian-American Apostle, is a faithful lifelong Church member. Oh goodness. But its a relief to know that the oil companies dont have to suck so hard. If the supposed universal differences between men and women are assets in a marriage, why not differences in race? Matthew Gong, Matthew Gong is a minority three times over in his own words Chinese American, Mormon and queer.. Sister Gong is a compulsive gardener who loves to cook and bring people together. She has authored Chinese language childrens readers and was the first coordinator for Utahs Chinese language dual-immersion program. Whether or not Brazilians are Latinos is complicated. ChurchofJesusChrist.org. It depends. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, will attend the event His mother's family are ethnic Chinese in Hawaii, and his father's family lived in California and other parts of the United States after his ancestors emigrated from China in the late 19th century. After Joseph's baptism, the Young brothers taught their family and friends in Canada and baptized over 150 individuals and established four branches of the church, including ones in Kingston and Sydenham. (Trent Nelson | Tribune file photo) Both Elder and Sister Gong served as full-time missionaries in Taiwan; the couple married in January 1980 in the Salt Lake Temple. This is the very purpose for which God created the heavens and the earth and saw that they were good. Elder Gong said, "On my mother's side . Too many glories to express. Elder Gong loves learning and spending time with family. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News. Assigned to organize the second stake in Bangkok, Thailand, Elder Gong participated in the calling of priesthood leaders. As far as Soares goes, He looks like a fairly typical Euro-Brazilian. However, much discussion among leading historians of Mormonism has so far failed to turn up any examples of an interracial marriage in the Twelve. 31 October 2021 by Gerrit W. Gong 16,100 sq ft (1,500 m 2) on a 7.7-acre (3.1 ha) site Elder Gerrit W. Gong and his wife, Susan, participate in a Christmas mural project in Vietnam. Elder Gongs parents, both professional teachers, collectively spent more than 70 years in the classroom. A former bishop and stake president, Elder Gong has served as a General Authority since 2010 and in that capacity has seen the Church grow and develop across the world. But the churchs mission is to reach throughout the world and serve people in their own languages, in their own cultures, and on their own terms without being destructive. When I realized that they were the new Apostles, I had chills all through my body, the hair on my arms stood up, and I felt so joyous. For women of Asian descent, this results in a hypersexualized stereotype, an extreme but superficial sexual desirability captured in the ugly term yellow fever. For men of Asian descent, this same underlying stereotype results in media representations and prejudice against them as emasculated and lacking in sexual desirability or prowess. The annual genealogical convention being held this year from March 2-4 at the Salt Palace Convention Center, 100 S. West Temple in Salt Lake City, and open to virtual and in-person visitors features special keynote speakers, classes and an expo of family research merchandise. It is our fervent hope and prayer that someday soon the Lord will open the way for the spread of the gospel here in China. These appointments in terms of age and church experience were right In the sweet spot consistent with recent apostle picks. His life isnt his anymore, and we are on opposite sides of a great divide.. [4] He also held the Freeman Chair in China studies and was later the Asia Director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Contributed BySarah Jane Weaver, Church News editor. deductible, Report a missed paper by emailingsubscribe@sltrib.comor calling801-237-2900, For e-edition questions or comments, contact customer support801-237-2900or emailsubscribe@sltrib.com. His mother's family were ethnic Chinese in Hawaii, while his father's family had lived in California and other parts of the United States after his ancestors had emigrated from China in the late 19th century. The Gongs will speak at 1:30 p.m., walking listeners through some of their personal family story, previously recorded on location in their homelands of Ireland and Hawaii. John. . Oh Lord, hasten the healing of our unbelief. :). 1. Elder Gong isnt part-anything. Below are three statements Elder Gong made about stories and some ideas about how you can rediscover your own. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Sister Susan Gong will be the keynote speakers for Family Discovery Day on the final day of RootsTech, the global family history gathering taking place virtually and in person March 2-4, 2023. [27][28][29][30], In November 2019, Gong presided over a worldwide broadcast that announced the LDS Church's new youth program. He was called to London on a Mandarin-speaking mission in 2011. He said they have had an opportunity to weep together and pray together. I do expect that their calling will reflect a process of opening the churchs leadership to the churchs global realities. We need more voices that reflect the churchs greatness in diversity. Learn more about guidelines and necessary forms. You were referring to citizenship and location of childhood ambient culture. Some places wanted to send only the best and most artistic children to participate. Anyone who thinks otherwise is giving themselves a little too much credit. A powerful couple to help open up China. Good going church! @Felix, my understanding at least according to Wikipedia is that Elder Gong is the son of a Chinese-Immigrant-family-in-California father and a Chinese-immigrant-family-in-Hawaii mother. Susan is other-oriented and down-to-earth wherever she is, said Elder Gong. I buried land mines and razor wire in my brain so that my heart couldnt get out., If Gong hadnt come out, he says, I would have fought in the war till I died by suicide.. [17] Prior to joining the BYU administration, the Gongs had spent most of their married life in Maryland and Virginia. That was later postponed indefinitely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gong reflects on September 11th and reviews perspectives on war. Lasting Discipleship. Having crushes on boys in elementary school. Fairbanks. I was never so different [that] I couldnt be potentially included.. Similarly, we were happy and hopeful to learn of President Nelsons ties to this wonderful land. Love you. Recommended dish: Korean BBQ platter. They will speak at Family . Pressure from Mormon Blogosphere/Political Correctness: 0. SALT LAKE CITY In his first public appearance since completing a COVID-19 quarantine, Elder Gerrit W. Gong, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of . Elder Gerrit W. Gong, newly sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, in Salt Lake City. In your own life story, you are the main character! It didnt matter if we agreed about everything; were still family. Thank you for sharing! Did the Utah Legislature do enough to save the Great Salt Lake? I know several members of Elder Gong's extended family, and they couldn't be a more dynamic, talented, kind family. Having people who know about petroleum extraction is always useful! This is because, in the white supremacist schema that subconsciously permeates our thinking, the latter is seen as marrying down in a way that the former is not, even though both are examples of interracial marriages. I hope that we will all gain greater appreciation for the struggles, courage, faith and sacrifice of those who have gone before. Much of this post is good, though the backdrop of white supremacy is a bit much. church instruction manuals for institute and youth. It makes all the difference to know who my family are." My friend muses, "A bent branch does not mean a bad tree. One Latter-day Saint seminary teacher kept trying to tell him he was Korean, because the instructor knew a Korean kid with a similar last name. Christ Church, Oxford; Edit. I personally am not concerned about quota filling in the Quorum. He will be a good fit with the brethren. Photo courtesy of the Gong family. Elder Gerrit W. Gong and his wife, Sister Susan Lindsay Gong. Home Realizacje i porady Bez kategorii gerrit gong family picture. (Courtesy photo by Ryan Di Spaltro) Members of Elder Gerrit W. Gongs family and the army of street children they enlisted to help them paint the scene stood back and examined the work. The Gongs were married in 1980, not long after the lifting of the race-based priesthood and temple ban in 1978. One day, during Gongs freshman year at Brigham Young University, he tried to take his life. Download Photo. All rights reserved. Loursat wrote: I dont expect that these men will be cultural or political reformers.. The storyteller and artist came out in defiance of my depression, he says, with a desperate will to survive. [5][1][2] As a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Gong is accepted by the church as a prophet, seer, and revelator. He seemed to remember a conversation with someone or something outside of himself that affirmed he was loved. Elder and Sister Gong said they have also felt the outpouring of support from members throughout the world. RootsTech 2023, a global gathering of family history enthusiasts, will be in-person at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City and virtually at rootstech.org. People. Elder Gerrit W. Gong, the first Asian-American Apostle, is a faithful lifelong Church member. I was personally much more disappointed that our previous three apostles had such close ties to Utah than their ethnic backgrounds. Loursat, I only bring this up because it was clearly your main point, but sucking oil out of the ground is a terrible strategy. Elder and Sister Gong's presentation will be broadcast on Saturday . the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, emigrated from China in the late 19th century, Center for Strategic and International Studies, National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, Church Board of Education and Boards of Trustees, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Mormon church names new seventies, Primary presidency", "Elder Gerrit W. Gong: 'A nice guy' A man of faith and learning", "Leadership Changes in Presidency of the Seventy Announced", "Mormon Church Selects 2 Senior Leaders, and Neither Is a White American", "Inquiry, Scholarship, and Learning and Teaching in Religiously Affiliated Colleges and Universities", "A First for the Rhodes Scholars: 13 Women Are Among the Winners", "Apostle timeline: Elder Gerrit W. Gong - BYU-I Scroll", "Trade, Rights Issues Cloud Meeting of Pacific Alliance", "Gerrit Gong and Susan Gong, my marriage, and why #RepresentationMatters", article on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Thailand, "Changes announced for Area Presidencies", "2016 Events LDS Church News Reports on the visit of Elders Stevenson and Gong to Thailand, Viet Nam and Macao", "Latter-day Saints Sustain New First Presidency in Solemn Assembly: Two new leaders named to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles", article on meeting with the Prime Minister of New Zealand, article on Gong and others meeting with the King of Tonga, KSL article on the Pacific Ministry Tour with much emphasis on Gong, Idaho State Journal article on announcement of new youth program, KSL article mentioning Gong's role in the announcement, Postponed: Winnipeg Manitoba Temple Open House and Dedication Dates Announced, Groundbreakings Announced for Two Utah Temples, Elder Gong, quarantining due to COVID-19 exposure, prerecorded his general conference message, Elder and Sister Gong diagnosed with COVID-19, "General Authorities and General Officers: Elder Gerrit W. Gong", The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titles, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gerrit_W._Gong&oldid=1131500756, Members of the First Quorum of the Seventy (LDS Church), American general authorities (LDS Church), Latter Day Saint biography Infobox with missing parameters, Articles containing Chinese-language text, Articles needing additional references from July 2020, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "Reconceptualising the Divide: Identity, Memory, and Nationalism in Sino-Japanese Relations" (with Victor Teo), "Remembering and Forgetting: The Legacy of War and Peace in East Asia", "Memory and History in East and Southeast Asia: Issues of Identity in International Relations", "Security and Economics in the Asia-Pacific Region" (with Richard L. Grant), "Taiwan Strait Dilemmas: China-Taiwan-U.S. Policies in the New Century", "Change and Challenge on the Korean Peninsula: Past, Present and Future" (with Tae Hwan Ok), "Korean Peninsula Trends and U.S.-Japan-South Korea Relations" (with Seizaburo Sato), "Sino-American Relations at a Time of Change" (with Bih-Jaw Lin), "Areas of Challenge for Soviet Foreign Policy in the 1980s", "The Standard of 'Civilization' in International Society", This page was last edited on 4 January 2023, at 12:10. Sister susan Lindsay Gong to organize the second stake in Bangkok, Thailand, elder Gong represented and... A faithful lifelong church member four times a year by Brigham Young University for graduates and friends have an... White supremacy is a minority three times over in his own words Chinese American Mormon! During Gongs freshman year at Brigham Young University, he tried to take his life which created. Throughout the world differences between men and women are assets in a marriage, not... 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