gerrit w gong family
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. He looks part white to me. Too many glories to express. Thoughts of not having that became unbearable, he says, and so he repressed them. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke during the Saturday afternoon session of April 2022 general conference. I think generational biases are difficult to overcome when seeking the Lords will on things great and small. I was never so different [that] I couldnt be potentially included.. The church desperately needed someone who represented Latin and South American saints symbolically and with experience in the 12. To read the full article on LDS.org, click here. All rights reserved. Ill check on her. Why treat it like a zero-sum game? 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 today, let us rejoice! I am pleased for him. Otherwise it would be hard for that person to win the confidence of the senior leadership. With his wife, Susan, Elder Gong helps build God's kingdom by serving all of His children. I know several members of Elder Gong's extended family, and they couldn't be a more dynamic, talented, kind family. His father joined the Church after attending Stanford University, where his parents met and dated. "Ours is a worldwide Church. Cynthia, Elder Gong said he and Sister Gong love being with the members in every place they have the privilege to go. However Im not excited about the call because of his increasing the racial diversity in the Quorum of the Twelve (which he doesnt) but rather because he brings a -cultural- diversity that is very welcomed. for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.. I was worried that it would be deletedinstead I have been encouraged to look at it in new ways that I hadnt considered. Shes everything one would hope for someone in that role. Elder and Sister Gong said they have also felt the outpouring of support from members throughout the world. Discover Gerrit W. Gong's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Felix was referring to genetics. He has deep credentials (both in church service and big worldly accomplishments), and he is born and bred American. He seemed to remember a conversation with someone or something outside of himself that affirmed he was loved. 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. Copyright Daily Herald | www.heraldextra.com | 1200 Towne Centre Blvd. God Bless You in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. From at least 2002, Gong served as special assistant to the president of BYU for planning and assessment. The apostle choices here should be celebrated and I would say without much qualification for progressive mormons. 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. [3] He is the LDS Church's first apostle of Asian descent. 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. The current government is becoming more repressive about such matters. I also rejoice in the callings of Elder Gong and Elder Soares. In what way have you narrowed that definition that causes you to think you can exclude him from that? 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. We need more voices that reflect the churchs greatness in diversity. The in-person session will also include live interaction with Elder and Sister Gong, according to a RootsTech media release. 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. 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. They will . Donate to the newsroom now. 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. As he said, "We each have a story.". Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News. 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. 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. Big smiles in the Hedgehog home. Mormonism LIVE: 117: Changes To The Temple & The Ethics of Ensign Peak Advisors Mormonism Live! Representation matters. What I hope for is a group that comes from different cultural backgrounds that can consider and represent a worldwide church. The storyteller and artist came out in defiance of my depression, he says, with a desperate will to survive. Once ordained they joined the growing circle of priesthood power.. Elder and Sister Gong's presentation will be broadcast on Saturday . So, I will clarify to satisfy you both. But theres also a higher divorce rate for couples with an age difference (proportionate to each year of difference, not just big gaps). I dont know how it came to us; it just did, said Sister Susan Gong. 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. Come discover yours. Elder Gong loves learning and spending time with family. Big smiles from this multiethnic family too. Yes, I have the most beautiful grandchildren. [7], Gong graduated from Cubberley High School in Palo Alto, California, in 1971. [8] He graduated from BYU in 1977 with a bachelor of arts. 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. 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. and one of those categories is occupation. they wondered. His family relationships clarified, my friend said, "I feel free, at peace. And Fred, it is interesting to me your physiological response to their call. Gong had just been named an apostle. Having crushes on boys in elementary school. So, when I talk about the Church, I mean the Church. When I talk about my father, hes just my father.. Their children had a hard time in Korean schools because of the round eyes. Does that mean they never should have gotten married? Elder Gerrit W. Gong, the first Asian-American Apostle, is a faithful lifelong Church member. I believe the Lord uses those who have specific skills to move His church forward.and Sister Gong is fluent in Mandarin. Thank you for sharing! 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. 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. church instruction manuals for institute and youth. His fear was that people would politicize me and my dad. On his 21st birthday, at the start of the final year on his mission, Gong wrote separate emails to each of his brothers and his parents to tell them he was gay. And definitely in Brazil Soares would be considered white. Im excited for Elder Soares calling as are my Brazilian friends in our ward here in Brazil. I commented on another thread here how much I admire Sister Susan Gong. [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. When the family moved to Utah, the young Gong found himself in a much more homogeneous community with a dominant culture, he says, where his peers and teachers werent exactly sure about his ethnicity. There are over a billion Chinese citizens, and we non-Chinese are forbididen by law from discussing religion with them. Cynthia you make a great couple. I hope this new leader does indeed provide an example that normalizes your family to our fellow Saints! But sucking it out by reducing the surface pressure below 14.7 psi wont accomplish much. 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. Their circumstances are different, but their faith and testimonies are in many ways the same, he said. Gerrit W. Gong and his wife, Susan Gong, leave the stand after the Saturday morning session of the 188th Annual General Conference in Salt Lake City, Friday, March 30, 2018. Although the family had provided the sketch, paint, and brushes, something had shifted. Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter. I struggled to find meaning in the spiritual void left by having been a flower growing in the wrong place., He hated that God had been taken from me, he says. Ask those who believed in the 1978 Official Declaration long before it came. Also on the whole model minority thing we dont exactly need to go very far back in history, especially California history, to find plenty of horrific discrimination against Asians. Patterns of Discipleship. 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.. Prior to becoming a general authority, Gong served in the church as a stake Sunday School president, high councilor, seminary teacher, bishop, stake president, and area seventy. He served as an LDS Church missionary in Taiwan. My white cousin married a Korean woman and lived in Korea for several years. 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.. People. I dont know of anything further back in the family tree than that. INVITATION TO ACT: "We each have a story. He hasnt aged at all. 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]. [4] He also held the Freeman Chair in China studies and was later the Asia Director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Parents and children can work through the awkwardness and conflict over deep disagreements to arrive at a place where they are simply family. Born in Redwood City, California, to Walter A. and Jean C. Gong, Elder Gong comes to the apostleship with a background rich in education and experience. Its not a Chinese, Mormon or academic dinner-table topic. 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.. I have had a testimony of the Church and gospel since I was very young, said Elder Gong. We were grateful others were excited for children to have creative opportunities.. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Sister Susan Gong are the keynote speakers for Family Discovery Day on the final day of RootsTech, the global family history gathering . Of course not. Thank you Jason K. You make an excellent point. The OPs own experience of external challenges is evidence enough that race is a factor to consider! http://www.pbs.org/wnet/black-in-latin-america/featured/black-in-latin-america-full-episode-brazil-a-racial-paradise/224/. 2003 Apr 1;101(7):2850-7. Steven J. Lund. Loursat, I only bring this up because it was clearly your main point, but sucking oil out of the ground is a terrible strategy. Currently, he is the fourteenth most senior apostle in the church.[6]. Some places wanted to send only the best and most artistic children to participate. Elder and Sister Gong said it was wonderful to join members from across the world for general conference, to sustain President Russell M. Nelson and the First Presidency, and to witness continuing revelation bless the members of the Church in all their many circumstances. Oh goodness. Blessed be the name of the Lord. As someone interested in the photographic impact of light, color, composition, and moment, Elder Gong imagines the childrenand others like them in Nepal, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Utahenjoying the space. Christ Church, Oxford; Edit. John. . 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. I agree. I will update the post as I get further information. #progress. Thanks for the correction, Jones. Recommended dish: Korean BBQ platter. Three, he loves the Lord. His mother, an avid gardener, once explained the difference between flowers and weeds. His first name is "Gerrit" and his last name is . On Buzzlearn.com, Gerrit is listed as a successful leader who was born in the year of 1953. The choices you make will determine what happens in the "plot" of your life, and education can have a big impact. It may also be that I have read todays conversations about it incorrectly and that Latino is ok? Although reasonable latter-day saints have long, long since realized there is no place for any disapproval of marriage based on race, this is still a big deal. Having a few interracial marriages in my extended family, Ive seen positive and negative consequences. That was later postponed indefinitely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 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. Forgive me, Im not sure. That our interactions would be nitpicked to brand us as avatars of ideologies, Gong writes on a Facebook post. Sign up for Meridians Free Newsletter, pleaseCLICK HERE. Today, I love myself, scars and all, and I am awestruck by the simplicity at being happy, something I would never have believed possible in my younger years, says Gong, who shares an apartment with his longtime partner. 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. 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. Its very, very hard to do that with a small, centralized leadership group. Four of my children have married half mixed spouses, two half Japanese and two half Hispanic in Utah. He will be a good fit with the brethren. Submitted on July 23, 2013. The mural they created, which added light to the once colorless space, wasnt theirs. I dont expect that these men will be cultural or political reformers. And love that something so small an interracial marriage can yet be so huge for your family and for others. Shout out to Jusok. There are both benefits and penalties to being racially mixed. He witnessed how the Lord touched many different people in Vietnam. (See related story.) Youd think wed try to start making trends on this issue as opposed to following them. With all the comments here I echo the joy in seeing a diverse Quorum. Although the family had provided the sketch, paint, and brushes, something had shifted. [23] Among his assignments while in the Presidency of the Seventy, Gong served on the Church Board of Education and Boards of Trustees, where he also served as a member of its executive committee. Something so small an interracial marriage can yet be so huge for your family and career updates over disagreements... 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