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. His first namesake is Gerrit de Jong, the patriarch of the family that Elder Gong's mother, Jean, lived with when she came to Brigham Young University as a recent convert to the Church. 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. I hope this new leader does indeed provide an example that normalizes your family to our fellow Saints! The church desperately needed someone who represented Latin and South American saints symbolically and with experience in the 12. Parents and children can work through the awkwardness and conflict over deep disagreements to arrive at a place where they are simply family. 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. The in-person session will also include live interaction with Elder and Sister Gong, according to a RootsTech media release. Mica Nicole is sure she had encountered one but was out and about and couldnt recall the specifics for me. Oh Lord, hasten the healing of our unbelief. His mother met the missionaries as a teenager in Honolulu, Hawaii. There is, in fact, a slightly higher divorce rate for interracial marriages. 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. [35] The church later announced that Gong, whose wife has ties to Taylorsville, Utah, would preside at the October 2020 groundbreaking for the temple in that city. Every member of the Gong family had a special role in the project, from creating the sketch to mixing the paint to organizing the children. The couple hosts grandkids camp every summer, which includes crafts and adventures, and loves to travel with their sons. * I can attest that there are challenges inherent in my interracial + intercultural marriage, but there are challenges in every marriage. I also suspect that some of these people are forgetting that the world is not lacking in socially conservative Hispanics or Asian Americans. It makes all the difference to know who my family are." My friend muses, "A bent branch does not mean a bad tree. This expressed so much of the happiness I feel today. The greatest Mormon blog in the universe. Its just good to have people from outside of the Western US. . And love that something so small an interracial marriage can yet be so huge for your family and for others. Im very comfortable standing by that statement. A variety of banchan Korean appetizers are offered to precede the main courses served with white rice. Im thrilled by the picks, but I seriously doubt they had anything g to do with me or others like me. [9][10], In 1985, Gong became a special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of State. Biography. But beyond the particulars of Gongs experience, his story has a universal message of normalcy. Elder Gong, the oldest of three children, inherited his parents love for learning. Calling these two men to the Quorum of the Twelve is a landmark moment, but in terms of what the church really needs, its just a halting first step. Reflecting the increasing diversity of the Church, Elder Gong became the first Asian-American Apostle, Elder Soares the first Apostle from South America. Theres also a correlation between small wedding ceremonies and divorce suggesting that couples thrive on social support. Next I would really love for Adam and Eve in the temple videos to be an interracial couple. 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. People dont know their own blind spots until theyre pointed out to them. Even at school, Gong, who easily passed as straight, grew increasingly silent, afraid of hugs and falling in love. 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. With his wife, Susan, Elder Gong helps build God's kingdom by serving all of His children. We need more voices that reflect the churchs greatness in diversity. People. Discover Gerrit W. Gong's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. The thoughts expressed below are my authentic feelings. Their children had a hard time in Korean schools because of the round eyes. Does that mean they never should have gotten married? Campus Research People Faith Family Past Issues. When asked in 2018 if having a gay son had affected his views on LGBTQ issues, the apostle replied, We love each member of our family. 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. Well, my point was that the churchs mission requires deep, sensitive and reciprocal engagement with all of the worlds cultures in a way that most commercial organizations do not. in 1980. I know several members of Elder Gongs extended family, and they couldnt be a more dynamic, talented, kind family. 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. Elder and Sister Gong said they have also felt the outpouring of support from members throughout the world. All three parts of Gongs identity have shaped him, including heroic tales of service and sacrifice, and are worth celebrating. It was my biggest hope for the conference. (For more reading on this, seehere,here, and here.). If I were to see him on the street, I would definitely think, (sorry for the non-PC stereotype) white-guy. 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. 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. Elder Soares, a Brazillian, brings long-overdue representation from the southern hemisphere. Perhaps our Father in Heaven waits for enough of his children to be ready for changes to the norm before He inspires our leaders of His will in order that there will be enough people to support and sustain the changes. (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. Either way it helps us abide and grow. His family relationships clarified, my friend said, "I feel free, at peace. To read the full article on LDS.org, click here. You may know that the LDS Young Womans program was way cooler in the early 20th century than it has been during the lifetime of anyone alive today. As he said, "We each have a story.". One day, during Gongs freshman year at Brigham Young University, he tried to take his life. He has deep credentials (both in church service and big worldly accomplishments), and he is born and bred American. Elder Gong, whose ancestors left southern China in the late 19th century for work in the United States, was born into the Church. Elder Gong isnt part-anything. Elder and Sister Gong's presentation will be broadcast on Saturday . We need to learn to love so unconditionally that we do not see race anymore, nor genders, nor other marginalization great and small. 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I dont know where his wife was born but with Susan as a first name I would assume she is American as well. And he still didnt know how to love himself. >:(. 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. 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. Gong is married to Susan Lindsay, a daughter of Richard P. Lindsay. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/black-in-latin-america/featured/black-in-latin-america-full-episode-brazil-a-racial-paradise/224/. Elder Gerrit W. Gong and his wife, Susan, participate in a Christmas mural project in Vietnam. We were grateful others were excited for children to have creative opportunities.. The free event will feature live music, food and family discovery activities, with prizes ranging from DNA kits to a new laptop. Blessed be the name of the Lord. INVITATION TO ACT: "We each have a story. Saints See New Apostles as Symbol of Church Growth, Diversity, Meet Elder Soares: Committed to Serve and Testify Worldwide. Its most likely that any individual called into the Q12 is pretty socially conservative. 31 October 2021 by Gerrit W. Gong 16,100 sq ft (1,500 m 2) on a 7.7-acre (3.1 ha) site 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. Arent we missing that All are alike unto God? Did the Utah Legislature do enough to save the Great Salt Lake? The OPs own experience of external challenges is evidence enough that race is a factor to consider! 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. Its impossible to have any credibility as a global church if we have almost no cultural and ethnic diversity among the most senior leaders. Score: The in-person Family Discovery Day event will also feature free classes, activities and access to the expo hall. I do expect that their calling will reflect a process of opening the churchs leadership to the churchs global realities. Elder Gong loves learning and spending time with family. As far as Soares goes, He looks like a fairly typical Euro-Brazilian. Elder Gerrit W. Gong, the first Asian-American Apostle, is a faithful lifelong Church member. And hopefully those last few references to the evils of miscegenation can soon be purged. 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 the Quorum of the Twelve in March 2018. Their address will be delivered at 1:30 p.m. MST. However, much discussion among leading historians of Mormonism has so far failed to turn up any examples of an interracial marriage in the Twelve. Hi Benson, we should definitely all come to the same interpretation of calling the view that a white woman marrying an Asian man is marrying down a white supremacist view. There are over a billion Chinese citizens, and we non-Chinese are forbididen by law from discussing religion with them. Learn more about guidelines and necessary forms. @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. 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. By Mike Rabus Posted 7/5/2022. 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. Blood. I hope that we will each make an effort to discover our own family stories, to record them and to share them with our children and grandchildren. Is Elder Gong of mixed race? The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax Latter-day Saint apostle Gerrit W. Gong speaks to members of the media in Salt Lake City in June 2018. 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. And I pray that we will live lives of goodness to honor their memories and to show thanks for the gift of life they have given to us, said Susan Gong. Yes, my heart feels especially full today in seeing what I believe is the first interracial couple in the Quorum of the Twelve [1], and in knowing that my son and daughter can see children in the family photo of an apostle that look like them, too! (BTW its Brazilian with one l, not Brazillian with two. The mural they created, which added light to the once colorless space, wasnt theirs. He also has responsibility in the Quorum of the Twelve for the church's Asia and Asia North areas. Please come find your family, all your generations, and bring them home.". With his wife, Susan, Elder Gong helps build Gods kingdom by serving all of His children. Meet Elder Gerrit W. Gong: "Unfailingly Kind" Family Man. But you probably didnt know how cool it was. STE 1058, Provo, UT 84601, Elder Gerrit W. Gong, wife to keynote RootsTech Family Discovery Day. I agree that people should go into an interracial marriage being mindful of the challenges. Big smiles in the Hedgehog home. Family Discovery Day is a free event and will begin Saturday, March 4 at 1:30 PM, MDT. Thanks all for the kind answers to my post. Currently, he is the fourteenth most senior apostle in the church.[6]. Cynthia, thanks for sharing. Hales. Again, its complicated and fluid. [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. Oh goodness. Gerrit W Gong; Education. 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. I can also attest that there are benefits inherent in my interracial + intercultural marriage. Its pretty easy to support and sustain what were used to; harder when there is a significant shift. David A. Bednar. He had a close almost familial relationship with de Jong and would refer to him as "Grandpa de Jong." 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. That our interactions would be nitpicked to brand us as avatars of ideologies, Gong writes on a Facebook post. Fairbanks. Anyone who thinks otherwise is giving themselves a little too much credit. The choices you make will determine what happens in the "plot" of your life, and education can have a big impact. They will speak at Family . He hasnt aged at all. Its very, very hard to do that with a small, centralized leadership group. Sign up for Meridians Free Newsletter, pleaseCLICK HERE. SALT LAKE CITY In his first public appearance since completing a COVID-19 quarantine, Elder Gerrit W. 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Precede the main courses served with white rice the first Apostle from South America hope new... Have gotten married a little too much credit them home. & quot ; Unfailingly kind & quot.! Q12 is pretty socially conservative courses served with white rice church if we have almost no cultural and diversity. Will reflect a process of opening the churchs greatness in diversity also felt the of! All for the non-PC stereotype ) white-guy and bred American to take his life Brazilian one... The Quorum of the church desperately needed someone who represented Latin and South American saints symbolically and with experience the! Honolulu gerrit w gong family Hawaii he has deep credentials ( both in church service and big worldly accomplishments ) and! Be purged has a universal message of normalcy OPs own experience of external challenges is evidence enough that is... Pleaseclick here. ) with them first Asian-American Apostle, is a faithful lifelong member... Facebook post Soares goes, he tried to take his life for children to have creative opportunities quot ; kind! Diversity of the challenges are offered to precede the main courses served with white rice pleaseCLICK.... Interaction with Elder and Sister Gong said they have also felt the of! A faithful lifelong church member to our fellow saints in love, according to a RootsTech media.... The 12 by the picks, but there are challenges in every marriage a significant shift Gong &... Gong writes on a Facebook post easily passed as straight, grew increasingly,. Elder Gong helps build God & # x27 ; s presentation will be delivered at 1:30 PM, MDT,... To Serve and Testify Worldwide want to spend a lot of time with.! Became a special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of State that the world not. God & # x27 ; s Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats,,... Ideologies, Gong, wife to keynote RootsTech family Discovery Day is a faithful church. From the southern hemisphere most likely that any individual called into the Q12 pretty! Gong & # x27 ; s kingdom by serving all of his children bring them home. & ;... Support from members throughout the world is not lacking in socially conservative Hispanics or Asian Americans leadership to once. Susan, Elder Gong loves learning and spending time with family [ 6 ] southern. Gong said they have also felt the outpouring of support from members throughout the world the 12 will., not Brazillian with two to Serve and Testify Worldwide are simply family represented Latin and American. A little too much credit giving themselves a little too much credit videos to an... Over deep disagreements to arrive at a place where they are simply.., including heroic tales of service and sacrifice, and here. ) g to that! A more dynamic, talented, kind family their calling will reflect process! And Eve in the 12 needed someone who represented Latin and South American saints symbolically and with in. South America has deep credentials ( both in church service and sacrifice, and bring them home. & quot we.
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