[11] Gong was a professor at various times at Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University. Currently, he is the fourteenth most senior apostle in the church.[6]. They are the parents of four sons and have three grandchildren. Never a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. We need more voices that reflect the churchs greatness in diversity. Here goes: When the names of the two new apostles were read I felt sick in the pit of my stomach. Bright colors and vivid images filled the once-blank cinder block wall of the soup kitchen in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. 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. Gerrit W. Gong. 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 . They hadnt earned my forgiveness, but I had.. John. Elder Gong isnt part-anything. Mental Health Minute: Who is Driving the Bus. Felix was referring to genetics. Ask Peter. Love the Gongs. Below are three statements Elder Gong made about stories and some ideas about how you can rediscover your own. Coming out, though, wasnt the happily-ever-after he had hoped it would be. If the supposed universal differences between men and women are assets in a marriage, why not differences in race? )[16] Gong and his wife are the parents of four sons. You can produce it under its own pressure; you can lift it out with a pump jack; you can energize it by reinjecting the gas cap; you can push it out by injecting water down a nearby well; you can melt it by injecting steam. A variety of banchan Korean appetizers are offered to precede the main courses served with white rice. One is Jacob Hamblin, often nicknamed Buckskin Apostle, though he was not actually part of the Twelve. #progress. In your own life story, you are the main character! Elder and Sister Gong said they have also felt the outpouring of support from members throughout the world. We need to love till we do not marginalize any of our Fathers children. 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.. Both Elder and Sister Gong served as full-time missionaries in Taiwan; the couple married in January 1980 in the Salt Lake Temple. (Haight had helped to overcome some of the misgivings some family members had about the interracial marriage. Arab? I hope that we will all gain greater appreciation for the struggles, courage, faith and sacrifice of those who have gone before. My last post must have sounded like trolling as it has disappeared. Meet Elder Gerrit W. Gong: "Unfailingly Kind" Family Man. There was almost no better realistic possibility than these two picks. The choices you make will determine what happens in the "plot" of your life, and education can have a big impact. There was some debate about Elder Soares that I think settled on he is from Latin America but not Latino nor a person of color by race. If there are, I would love to meet them for a nice cup of group therapy., When the senior Gong took his place for a lifetime appointment in the faiths Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the younger Gong thought: Today is the day I lost my father. Why treat it like a zero-sum game? Ask those who believed in the 1978 Official Declaration long before it came. Christ Church, Oxford; Edit. [9][10], In 1985, Gong became a special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of State. I know several members of Elder Gongs extended family, and they couldnt be a more dynamic, talented, kind family. Having people who know about petroleum extraction is always useful! Gerrit W Gong; Education. Love your family. Gong reflects on September 11th and reviews perspectives on war. (I should be really friendly to this guy, or I just want to spend a lot of time with that boy.), He didnt want to accept himself as gay, because the only queerness I had ever seen was bad the AIDS crisis, promiscuity, death. I dont know how it came to us; it just did, said Sister Susan Gong. This is a big deal. 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. As I said at the last time new apostles were chosenI would have preferred to have seen three Caucasian apostles from outside North America than three apostles of color who were born and raised in Utah. No accent here! Five Frameworks on Iraq. With all the comments here I echo the joy in seeing a diverse Quorum. All rights reserved. I argued my doubts to a standstill and reclaimed my beliefs from where they lay.. Pressure from Mormon Blogosphere/Political Correctness: 0. Race dynamics and categories in the US and Brazil are each independently complicated and fraught, and also very different from each other in subtle ways. Representation matters. 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. At the risk of being a downer: there are still at least two places on lds.org with instructional materials containing a quote that members are encouraged to marry within their race. Good going church! Thanks, Cynthia, and beautifully written. STE 1058, Provo, UT 84601, Elder Gerrit W. Gong, wife to keynote RootsTech Family Discovery Day. They continued their courtship after Gong returned to Oxford while Lindsay continued her studies at BYU, which has led to Gong humorously asserting that there is no question he got a degree in international relations. Maybe well get rid of those now. Its impossible to have any credibility as a global church if we have almost no cultural and ethnic diversity among the most senior leaders. Gerrit W. Gong was born on 23 December, 1953 in Redwood City, California, United States, is a Leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, first leader of Asian descent. Did you hear Elder Oaks announce that 40% of.the GAs now have been born outside the US and then rattling off the countries? I dont know why some would feel the way you did and some the way I did, but thank you for sharing and also maintaining respect for those who felt differently. There is joy and warmth as my boyfriend pulls me close for a hug, and I marvel at the easy laughs and unqualified smiles that we share as we sit on the couch watching TV., There is celebration, he says, in my families of both queer and of birth., Though Gong still claims aspects of Mormonism in his spirituality, he has added theistic Taoism, Zen Buddhism and any parts of a religion that seem resonant civility, care, forgiveness, treating humans with dignity and compassion., He learned those principles from growing up Mormon, he says, but they are not unique to the church., The churchs patterns and behaviors of abuse, he says, dont have to be there; they are not inherent in the doctrine.. Acompaa al lder Gerrit W. Gong, del Curum de los Doce Apstoles, y a su esposa, la hermana Susan Lindsay Gong, en un viaje internacional de descubrimiento familiar. [27][28][29][30], In November 2019, Gong presided over a worldwide broadcast that announced the LDS Church's new youth program. Editors note If you or people you know are at risk of self-harm, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24-hour support at 1-800-273-8255. The OPs own experience of external challenges is evidence enough that race is a factor to consider! I genuinely feel this way and am not in any way trying to be disruptive or to be a troll. If my voice is silenced (deleted) I will take the hint that Im not welcome here and will quietly go away. It makes all the difference to know who my family are." My friend muses, "A bent branch does not mean a bad tree. Was he Mexican? Did the Utah Legislature do enough to save the Great Salt Lake? All three parts of Gongs identity have shaped him, including heroic tales of service and sacrifice, and are worth celebrating. This white British woman with Japanese husband and two children is with you all the way on this one. 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. It belonged to the children. No registration is required. [7], Gong graduated from Cubberley High School in Palo Alto, California, in 1971. [3] He is the LDS Church's first apostle of Asian descent. Campus Research People Faith Family Past Issues. To read the full article on LDS.org, click here. Here are 6 fun facts about Elder Gong. Also, doesnt Sister Rosana Fernandes Soares identify as a woman of color? 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. I am just grateful to know that this comes one day at a time and that when you are on the Lords errand, you receive the Lords help. Shout out to Jusok. @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. His mother's family are ethnic Chinese in Hawaii . After the meeting we entered a large room, where on chairs on three sides of the room priesthood leaders were ordained one by one, recalled Sister Gong. Why does ethnicity have to be politicized in Zion the way it is in Babylon? President (now Elder) Uchtdorf is a wonderful man on his own merits, but I truly feel like a lot of his perspective comes from his background and upbringing. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Gong. ChurchofJesusChrist.org. When I refer to my Merriam Webster Dictionary and the Encyclopedia Britannica online, Elder Soares happily fits those definitions of Latino. To appreciate why this feels especially significant to me that we have not only an interracial couple, but specifically a Chinese-American man and a white woman, we have to have a frank talk about how racism in the United States manifests against Asians and Asian-Americans, specifically in regards to gender and sex. There is complexity in every relationship and we continue to work at it., If theres a single label that he claims for his identity, its Gong, he says. I believe inspiration comes to those who seek, as does revelation-like who to call to be apostles. The thoughts expressed below are my authentic feelings. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News. And thus he came to see his gay self as a weed in the Latter-day Saint garden. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. One, he is unfailingly kind, she said. One day, during Gongs freshman year at Brigham Young University, he tried to take his life. Similarly, we were happy and hopeful to learn of President Nelsons ties to this wonderful land. But theres also a higher divorce rate for couples with an age difference (proportionate to each year of difference, not just big gaps). The hard thing for ALL of us is to cope with (possibly) inspired decisions that conflict with our own political and philosophical intuitions. :). Recommended dish: Korean BBQ platter. And it takes strength to keep sustaining when a shift comes before one is ready. Although the character of the racism people of Asian descent experience in the US is very different from what Latinx and black people face, and the significance of that should not be minimized, it is still racism. I was worried that it would be deletedinstead I have been encouraged to look at it in new ways that I hadnt considered. Much of this post is good, though the backdrop of white supremacy is a bit much. [3] Effective January 4, 2016, Gong transitioned from his role as president of the Asia Area and into the Presidency of the Seventy, with responsibility for the church's North America Northeast Area. Elder Soares, a Brazillian, brings long-overdue representation from the southern hemisphere. The in-person Family Discovery Day event will also feature free classes, activities and access to the expo hall. [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. Having crushes on boys in elementary school. In the background, another newly called apostle, Ulisses Soares, hugs his wife, Rosana Soares. Come join us on an international journey of connection and belonging at @Rootstech Family Discovery Day any time March 4 after 1:30 p.m. (MST). Ties with ancestors increase family closeness, gratitude, miracles. * I can attest that there are challenges inherent in my interracial + intercultural marriage, but there are challenges in every marriage. He looks part white to me. Even at school, Gong, who easily passed as straight, grew increasingly silent, afraid of hugs and falling in love. The current government is becoming more repressive about such matters. Its nice to have this forum where you can say what you are really thinking rather than in a classroom at church where you pretty much have to say the party line. Come discover yours. 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 . FredI strongly suspect that you would not have similar qualms about announcements that aligned with your own political priors. Although the family had provided the sketch, paint, and brushes, something had shifted. Weeds, she told him, were plants growing where they werent wanted., His queerness, the opposite of his religious ethnicity, was something I was born with but not into, Gong says in an LGBTQ Affirmation conference speech, I had to discover it, like a secret birthright.. On my mission, I learned that the first things to grow on the battlefields of France after World War I, were poppies, blood-red poppies, Gong tells the Affirmation virtual audience. What I hope for is a group that comes from different cultural backgrounds that can consider and represent a worldwide church. Since there is a sub thread discussion about race here, Ill just highlight this very good and enlightening piece by PBS from a few years ago about race in Brazil. July 10, 2022. And he never brought it up. I dont think there are many people who are openly queer and whose dad is now in one of the highest positions of authority in the LDS Church, he quips in an online post that went viral. That delighted Elder Gong, his wife, Susan, and their four sons so much that they repeated the service project in four other countries during the next four years, while Elder and Sister Gong were assigned in that Church area. They visited Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and Fiji, including meeting with government leaders of New Zealand and Tonga. Bright colors and vivid images filled the once-blank cinder block wall of the soup kitchen in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. Though Gongs relationship with his parents got off to a rocky start after he came out not for lack of love or rejection but for miscommunication they are now as close as ever and talk almost every week. He served as an LDS Church missionary in Taiwan. [4] Prior to becoming a general authority, he served as Assistant to the President of Brigham Young University (BYU) for Planning and Assessment. Thank you Jason K. You make an excellent point. He later served as a special assistant in the United States State Department, as well as special assistant to the ambassador at the United States Embassy in Beijing, China. I know several members of Elder Gong's extended family, and they couldn't be a more dynamic, talented, kind family. His Chinese American family was also highly academic both parents have advanced degrees and had wide-ranging conversations, even heated debates. He hasnt aged at all. Y Magazine is published four times a year by Brigham Young University for graduates and friends. Biography. Yes, I have the most beautiful grandchildren. At that moment you feel very humble, but you are certain in your confidence and love for President Nelson as the Lords prophet and Church President. Although the family had provided the sketch, paint and brushes, something had shifted. God Bless You in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Fairbanks is home to Seoul Gate Restaurant, an unpretentious spot where beef bulgogi, chicken bulgogi, traditional BBQ platters, and crispy, fried chicken are served in large portions. The restored gospel is for every nation, kindred, and tongue. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. But its a relief to know that the oil companies dont have to suck so hard. In order to celebrate Elder Gong's birthday, here are some photos showing his life and ministry to Latter-day Saints around the world. (Sometimes the emphasis is on achieving a picture-perfect family which involves inflated egos, exclusiveness, feelings of superiority or inferiority, and other unChrist-like behaviors both inside and outside the family. As of June 2018, he was serving as chair of the church's Scriptures Committee (which, among other things, oversees the translation of the scriptures) and as a member of the Leadership and Training Committee, the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, and the Outreach Committee. Elder Gong was with Elder Quentin L. Cook and Elder Gary E. Stevenson in Vietnam when the Church received official recognition. Gong had just been named an apostle. Such ties can bring help from the other side of the veil." Gerrit W. Gong We Each Have a Story "If you want a happier family, create, refine and retell the story of your family's positive moments and your ability to bounce back from the difficult ones. He encouraged listeners to connect with ancestors and descendants in uniting God's family. He served as a member of the United States Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity and participated in multiple national education summits.[9]. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife, Susan, have rich family histories from Hawaii and Ireland. But if you would indulge me for a moment, I want to focus on one area of very specific, personal appreciation: the marriage of Elder Gerrit Gong, as an Asian-American man, to his wife Susan Gong, a white woman. 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. My heart ached also for Elder Gong and Elder Soares as I realized that they too probably wonder if their call came from God or if they are token minorities in a corporation that has to factor in the opinions and philosophies of the world in its decision making. I think generational biases are difficult to overcome when seeking the Lords will on things great and small. . [5] Gerrit was named after Gerrit de Jong because his mother had lived with de Jong and his family while she was a student at BYU. Steven J. Lund. We used to hang out during our days at UCSD. Oh, the challenge of English adjectives. Elder David A. Bednar and Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Primary General President Susan H. Porter; Sister Kristen M. Yee, Second Counselor in the Relief Society . Gong was born in 1953 in Redwood City, California, to Walter Gong and his wife, the former Jean Char, and raised in Palo Alto, California. It may also be that I have read todays conversations about it incorrectly and that Latino is ok? In the April 2022 General Conference, Elder Gerrit W. Gong said, " [W]e each have a story. Term ended by removal of apostleship; was later excommunicated. There are any number of reasons I couldnt be happier about the newly-called Elder Gong and Elder Soares. Johnif all are alike unto God, then you should expect that there are people worthy to be apostles from all racial backgrounds, not just one. Sign up for Meridians Free Newsletter, pleaseCLICK HERE. Cynthia, thanks for sharing. Elder Gerrit W. Gong currently serves as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Keynote speakers will include Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his wife, Sister Susan Gong; actor Sean Astin of Lord of the Rings fame; singer Jordan Sparks; photographer Me Rah Koh; and others. Saints See New Apostles as Symbol of Church Growth, Diversity, Meet Elder Soares: Committed to Serve and Testify Worldwide. Elder Gong was on my list of best case scenarios. Cynthia, Shes everything one would hope for someone in that role. Ill check on her. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News. Revelation: 2 Gong then studied international relations at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, receiving a master's degree in 1979 and a D.Phil. In movies, gays were victims, targets for bullies, or the sassy friend.. Reading the D&C, it seems that revelation is often (indeed, almost always) responsive to external realities. As far as Soares goes, He looks like a fairly typical Euro-Brazilian. People dont know their own blind spots until theyre pointed out to them. Big smiles in the Hedgehog home. Of course not. Now as a newly sustained member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles he will share a different kind of light with Gods children throughout the world. Gerrit W. Gong was born on 23 December, 1953 in Redwood City, California, United States, is a Leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, first leader of Asian descent. Today we both celebrate andlook forward. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke during the Saturday afternoon session of April 2022 general conference. But sucking it out by reducing the surface pressure below 14.7 psi wont accomplish much. Daily news, articles, videos and podcasts sent straight to your inbox. I will update the post as I get further information. Big smiles from this multiethnic family too. Benson, although its not incorrect to say the manuals (Kimball) advise caution, they go a little further than that in recommending/expressing preference for racially homogenous marriages. That being said, my thoughts are that we may be making more of Elder Gongs lineage than is really there. He has been a general authority since 2010 and served as a member of the church's Presidency of the Seventy from October 2015 until his calling to . We need to learn to love so unconditionally that we do not see race anymore, nor genders, nor other marginalization great and small. He seemed to remember a conversation with someone or something outside of himself that affirmed he was loved. I was personally much more disappointed that our previous three apostles had such close ties to Utah than their ethnic backgrounds. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, will also be featured at the conference as keynote speakers on Family Discovery Day the last day of the conference focused on making connections and celebrating family heritage. Cannot load blog information at this time. Ours is a worldwide Church. Im also the white half of an interracial marriage. [15] They first met when Gong was a BYU student who would give presentations on Taiwan's culture to missionaries about to depart for Taiwan from the Missionary Training Center, among whom was Lindsay. Lasting Discipleship. Anyone who thinks otherwise is giving themselves a little too much credit. BTW, given that oil often is found in strange places, experience and comfort with a wide range of cultures is a pretty big advantage. Donors who contribute . My wife is Japanese and Im Puerto Rican, whoop dee doo. In October 2015, Gong was appointed to the Presidency of the Seventy, filling a vacancy created by Ronald A. Rasband's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Gong was born in 1953 in Redwood City, California, to Walter Gong and his wife, the former Jean Char, and raised in Palo Alto, California. Not sure that the fact his Asian roots would mean that much to the Chinese government in order to open it for missionary work, but I believe that he fits the mold for Apostleship with age, church experience/loyalty, and worldly accolades. -Gerrit W. Gong. Elder Gong, whose ancestors left southern China in the late 19th century for work in the United States, was born into the Church. 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Brigham Young University for graduates and friends Magazine is published four times a year by Brigham Young University for and...