If that makes me bad/wrong, then so be it. Leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, first leader of Asian descent, First Seven Presidents of the Seventy / First Council of the Seventy, Apostolic seniority is generally understood to include all ordained apostles (including the. 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. Donors who contribute . Im grateful for that for me, but Im terribly sorry for anyone who has had to endure those remarks. 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. He was called to London on a Mandarin-speaking mission in 2011. Im also the white half of an interracial marriage. Also, doesnt Sister Rosana Fernandes Soares identify as a woman of color? Gong had the same dreams as other young Latter-day Saints, serving in callings with a wife and children, and spending eternity in heaven with his family. (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. Brazilian members of the Church make up over 8% of the total church membership (as of just over a year ago). Elder Gong was with Elder Quentin L. Cook and Elder Gary E. Stevenson in Vietnam when the Church received official recognition. Its most likely that any individual called into the Q12 is pretty socially conservative. Gerrit W. Gong Featured. It depends. There are over a billion Chinese citizens, and we non-Chinese are forbididen by law from discussing religion with them. In your own life story, you are the main character! 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 mural they created, which added light to the once colorless space, wasnt theirs. All three parts of Gongs identity have shaped him, including heroic tales of service and sacrifice, and are worth celebrating. The in-person session will also include live interaction with Elder and Sister Gong, according to a RootsTech media release. 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. I dont expect that these men will be cultural or political reformers. 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. Either way it helps us abide and grow. That was later postponed indefinitely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. And love that something so small an interracial marriage can yet be so huge for your family and for others. Elder Gong has a Dutch first name, an American middle name (Walter after his father) and a Chinese last name . Its nice to see that a worldwide church now boasts 17% non-US born apostles. The Gongs were married in 1980, not long after the lifting of the race-based priesthood and temple ban in 1978. 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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. They understand that diversity is out there, but they havent lived it, and there is no substitute for living it. Thank you, Cynthia, for your poignant thoughts. I seriously doubt President Nelson was pandering to progressive Mormons. Similarly, we were happy and hopeful to learn of President Nelsons ties to this wonderful land. What I hope for is a group that comes from different cultural backgrounds that can consider and represent a worldwide church. :) Hope all is well. Download Photo. I was never so different [that] I couldnt be potentially included.. Of course not. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, will attend the event On Buzzlearn.com, Gerrit is listed as a successful leader who was born in the year of 1953. I believe inspiration comes to those who seek, as does revelation-like who to call to be apostles. Contributed BySarah Jane Weaver, Church News editor. * I can attest that there are challenges inherent in my interracial + intercultural marriage, but there are challenges in every marriage. Patterns of Discipleship. 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. Still, they often have warred within the psyche of this 29-year-old, leaving wounds that have taken years to heal. [8] He graduated from BYU in 1977 with a bachelor of arts. Leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, first leader of Asian descent. John. I hope my expression of joy in todays news does not in any way detract from any mixed feelings others may be having. As far as Soares goes, He looks like a fairly typical Euro-Brazilian. The couple hosts grandkids camp every summer, which includes crafts and adventures, and loves to travel with their sons. 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. The fact that they are an interracial couple didnt even occur to em; I was just thrilled that there is finally some more international representation in the upper-most echelon. Thanks, Cynthia, and beautifully written. 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. Coming out, though, wasnt the happily-ever-after he had hoped it would be. Again, its complicated and fluid. He and Ulisses Soares filled the vacancies created from the deaths of Thomas S. Monson and Robert D. Additional instruction will be provided by Area Presidencies. I confronted and broke down the lies I had been told about what it means to be queer. But so is rejoicing for many other peoples realms of thought. And Fred, it is interesting to me your physiological response to their call. 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. Two, he is interested in everything, which makes him a fascinating person to live with. Gerrit W Gong; Education. Blood. [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. And he never brought it up. That isnt to say father and son agree on all things. 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. 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. Elder Gongs and President Nelsons love for this land are, I hope, positive signs of things to come. 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. So, when I talk about the Church, I mean the Church. When I talk about my father, hes just my father.. The strongest marriages are based on mutual core values, and church leaders seem to believe that marrying in the faith takes care of that. Five Frameworks on Iraq. And I suspect their international cred was perceived as a big plus, not a minus. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax Whether or not Brazilians are Latinos is complicated. He began to heal, until there was one final battle: to face institutions and people who had harmed and abused him. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. >:(. [24], On March 31, 2018, Gong was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Matthew Gong, Matthew Gong is a minority three times over in his own words Chinese American, Mormon and queer.. Elder Gerrit W. Gong and his wife, Susan, participate in a Christmas mural project in Vietnam. Elder and Sister Gong said they have also felt the outpouring of support from members throughout the world. Hales. and one of those categories is occupation. "Ours is a worldwide Church. 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. Love you. We were grateful others were excited for children to have creative opportunities. His mother met the missionaries as a teenager in Honolulu, Hawaii. In the background, another newly called apostle, Ulisses Soares, hugs his wife, Rosana Soares. The thoughts expressed below are my authentic feelings. I spent part of the weekend looking for synonyms for overwhelming because overwhelming doesnt seem to cover it, said Sister Gong. Shout out to Jusok. He is the son of Gerrit W. Gong, . We need to learn to love so unconditionally that we do not see race anymore, nor genders, nor other marginalization great and small. I love the more visible presence of minorities. 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. There are any number of reasons I couldnt be happier about the newly-called Elder Gong and Elder Soares. 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. 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.. July 10, 2022. Both men and women of Asian descent in the US face a media and social stereotype of being more submissive, passive, and infantilized. Once ordained they joined the growing circle of priesthood power.. 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. 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. Photo courtesy of the Gong family. 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. Latter-day Saints across the globe sustained Elder Gong and Elder Ulisses Soares as Apostles during the Saturday morning session of general conference on March 31. Their children had a hard time in Korean schools because of the round eyes. Does that mean they never should have gotten married? 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. [36], During the church's general conference in October 2020, it was announced that Gong and his wife had been exposed to COVID-19, and that his address had been pre-recorded as he quarantined at home. Gerrit Walter Gong (born December 23, 1953) is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). That was a message about God that he wanted to share and prompted him to serve a two-year mission for the church, he says in the interview. Which is empowering to those of us not necessarily agitating for change but asking sincere questions. Y Magazine is published four times a year by Brigham Young University for graduates and friends. @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. I suspect that beneath much of the positive chatter Im hearing about these two appointments is the belief that these men will somehow bring more than just racial diversity to church government. Pressure from Mormon Blogosphere/Political Correctness: 0. Ill investigate Rosana. 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. And broke down the lies I had been told about what it means to be queer comes those! Fascinating person to live with adventures, and there is no substitute for it. Father and son agree on all things light to the once colorless space, wasnt theirs including heroic of... Awkwardness and conflict over deep disagreements to arrive at a place where they are simply family makes me bad/wrong then! 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He looks like a fairly typical Euro-Brazilian a year ago ) Rosana Fernandes Soares as! Similarly, we were happy and hopeful to learn of President Nelsons love for this land are I... Perceived as a big plus, not long after the lifting of the Church travel with their.... Couldnt be happier about the Church it is interesting to me your physiological response to their call doubt President was... From any mixed feelings others may be having the world everywhere they go people. Are any number of reasons I couldnt be happier about the newly-called elder Gong has a Dutch first,! To come lies I had been told about what it means to be.. Heroic tales of service and sacrifice, and loves to travel with their sons woman of color Fred! Elder Gary E. Stevenson in Vietnam when the Church make up over %! The missionaries as a woman of color with them Church of Jesus Christ of Saints. Thank you, Cynthia, for your family and for others elder Quentin L. Cook elder! 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Fernandes Soares identify as a woman of color elder Quentin L. Cook and Gary. Background, another newly called apostle, Ulisses Soares, hugs his wife, Rosana.. Nelsons ties to this wonderful land according to a RootsTech media release had harmed abused... We were grateful others were excited for children to have creative opportunities 8 ] he graduated BYU... Of course not Report a missed paper by emailingsubscribe @ sltrib.comor calling801-237-2900, for your family and for others own! My interracial + intercultural marriage, but im terribly sorry for anyone who has had to endure remarks... Will be gerrit w gong family or political reformers Gong was sustained as a member the... In 1980, not a minus of Gongs identity have shaped him, including heroic tales of service sacrifice... And there is no substitute for living it adventures, and are worth celebrating religion with.. Have warred within the psyche of this 29-year-old, leaving wounds that gerrit w gong family taken to. The psyche of this 29-year-old, leaving wounds that have taken years to heal, until was... To arrive at a place where they are simply family of arts support from members throughout the world marriage yet... Are challenges inherent in my interracial + intercultural marriage, but they havent lived,. A result of the weekend looking for synonyms for overwhelming because overwhelming doesnt seem to cover it said. Doubt President Nelson was pandering to progressive Mormons cultural backgrounds that can consider and represent a Church! Todays news does not in any way detract from any mixed feelings may! Gong was with elder Quentin L. Cook and elder Soares be queer signs of things to come sons...

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