Three, he loves the Lord. Elder Gerrit W. Gong's talk from the April 2022 general conference was all about family history, and it gave us lots of good insights. Contributed BySarah Jane Weaver, Church News editor. Elder Gong, a newly called member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, is characterized by his kindness, interest in others, love of family, and desire to build the kingdom of God. That our interactions would be nitpicked to brand us as avatars of ideologies, Gong writes on a Facebook post. Big smiles from this multiethnic family too. 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. What I hope for is a group that comes from different cultural backgrounds that can consider and represent a worldwide church. That is something the Gongs also learned from the children involved in their mural projects, undertaken during the Christmas season. 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. A powerful couple to help open up China. 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. 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. 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. I dont know how it came to us; it just did, said Sister Susan Gong. 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. I was never so different [that] I couldnt be potentially included.. It didnt matter if we agreed about everything; were still family. Bright colors and vivid images filled the once-blank cinder block wall of the soup kitchen in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. Instead, the purpose of . There is a misconception that Asians and Asian-Americans do not experience racism in the US, because their model minority status casts them as the ideal scholars and citizens. Im sorry for that feeling in the pit of your stomachI know it all too well. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, will attend the event His family relationships clarified, my friend said, "I feel free, at peace. [9][10], In 1985, Gong became a special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of State. Still, they often have warred within the psyche of this 29-year-old, leaving wounds that have taken years to heal. Loursat wrote: I dont expect that these men will be cultural or political reformers.. I know several members of Elder Gongs extended family, and they couldnt be a more dynamic, talented, kind family. [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. 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. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. And love that something so small an interracial marriage can yet be so huge for your family and for others. 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. The churchs rhetoric against such marriages was very strong in the wake of the 1978 revelation, as if SWK wanted to communicate Hey, lets not go crazy with this thing. That attitude has slowly dissipated, but even now its not quite gone. Gerrit W Gong; Education. The choices you make will determine what happens in the "plot" of your life, and education can have a big impact. Im sorry to hear this, but grateful that I was raised in the 50s to 70s by open minded, faithful Mormon parents, for which I am grateful for every day. Hopefully Im not missing anyone, but I do not see that any of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve married Native American women. As he said, "We each have a story.". Huh. The authors presentation assumes an intellectual supremacy that we all should come to the same interpretations.though I guess thats what opinions are. 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. I also suspect that some of these people are forgetting that the world is not lacking in socially conservative Hispanics or Asian Americans. . Perhaps social support could be encouraged rather than interracial marriage being discouraged. [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. Similarly, we were happy and hopeful to learn of President Nelsons ties to this wonderful land. In the Saturday afternoon session of the April 2022 general conference, Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave a talk titled "We Each Have a Story" in which he encouraged his listeners to work on their family history. As we discover our story, we connect, we belong, we become." 1. His known family tree is extensive (bless the tradition of Chinese family genealogy record-keeping) and is 100% Chinese. He and Ulisses Soares filled the vacancies created from the deaths of Thomas S. Monson and Robert D. 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. I dont know where his wife was born but with Susan as a first name I would assume she is American as well. 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. Happening March 4, Family Discovery Day is free online and in-person. #progress. Sexuality, however, was never discussed. BTW, given that oil often is found in strange places, experience and comfort with a wide range of cultures is a pretty big advantage. 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. I will try to express my feelings in a more heartfelt way in this post in hopes that it will not suffer the same fate. Gerrit W. Gong Featured. 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The restored gospel is for every nation, kindred, and tongue. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Our churchs very highly centralized authority creates a great challenge. Cheers. 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. Bright colors and vivid images filled the once-blank cinder block wall of the soup kitchen in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. But today, let us rejoice! Elder Gong was on my list of best case scenarios. I have personally experienced stinging examples of this bias: confusion about our children, surprise about us being together, and even comments along the lines that I did it backwards by being a white woman married to my Korean-American husband. 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). Those interested in participating in the conference can register online at https://rootstech.org. And it takes strength to keep sustaining when a shift comes before one is ready. During a press conference related to the open house for the rededication of the Washington D.C. Temple, Gong shared that one of his first memories was of being sealed to his parents in a temple of the LDS Church. But so is rejoicing for many other peoples realms of thought. 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 . With his wife, Susan, Elder Gong helps build God's kingdom by serving all of His children. Im very comfortable standing by that statement. Both Elder and Sister Gong served as full-time missionaries in Taiwan; the couple married in January 1980 in the Salt Lake Temple. 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. 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. Its very, very hard to do that with a small, centralized leadership group. )[16] Gong and his wife are the parents of four sons. Then whatever is revealed is always so outside a lot of peoples realm of what, who, or how things should be that murmuring is inevitable. Elder Gerrit W. Gong, the first Asian-American Apostle, is a faithful lifelong Church member. This has been a great day in my long life! 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 . 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. Reading through all the comments has been interesting. Very happy about these calls for all sorts of reasons; thanks for adding another very cogent one to the pile! Five Frameworks on Iraq. No registration is required. Its disingenuous to portray the Churchs historic concern with inter-racial marriages as a simple matter of possible incompatibility. :) Hope all is well. (Courtesy photo by Ryan Di Spaltro) Brazilian members of the Church make up over 8% of the total church membership (as of just over a year ago). I had won the war in coming out but was left as broken as the battlefield.. It was my biggest hope for the conference. 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. Sign up for Meridians Free Newsletter, pleaseCLICK HERE. I also know that its possible to find joy and peace in the church even when we find ourselves with a minority opinion. They will share some of their stories at Family Discovery Day during RootsTech 2023. [22] While in the presidency of the Asia Area, Gong resided in Hong Kong but supervised the work of the LDS Church in all of continental East Asia except Korea, Taiwan, and all of Southeast Asia, except the Philippines and south Asia. Representation matters! 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. 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. [11] Gong was a professor at various times at Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University. Cynthia you make a great couple. 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. Although it is 2018 and one would hope the simple fact of an apostle in a interracial marriage wouldnt be abig dealanymore, it is. I dont know how it came to us; it just did, said Sister Susan Gong. He looks part white to me. Even if you werent aware of all these nuances, youve probably absorbed from US culture the idea that its more normal or expected for a woman of Asian descent to be married to a white man, than for a white woman to be married to a man of Asian descent. 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. Big smiles in the Hedgehog home. Coming out, though, wasnt the happily-ever-after he had hoped it would be. Also, I suspect President Nelsons very special interest in China may have played a role in the case of Elder Gong. The Church, the Investment Advisor, and theSEC, Worthiness Interviews and MoralAuthority, Inside the UK's Mormon missionary bootcamp - BBC, Linda King Newell, Feminist Scholar of Mormon History, Dies at 82 - The New York Times, 'Mormon Land': Black priesthood ban didn't come from God or - Salt Lake Tribune, Jana Riess: LDS Church's slow shift away from demonizing working - Salt Lake Tribune, Mormon Church fined over claim it hid $32bn of investments - BBC. church instruction manuals for institute and youth. He began to heal, until there was one final battle: to face institutions and people who had harmed and abused him. Reserve a spot at the After-Party by FamilySearch using eventbrite.com. A few early apostles married Scandinavian immigrants, but thats really stretching the definition of interracial marriage. Factor does not mean negative or positive it just is. The greatest Mormon blog in the universe. Again, its complicated and fluid. No accent here! They will . [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. (My father worked in HR for an oil major, I used to live a stones throw from the HQ of another one, and my current employer sells very large amounts of electricity to oil companiesto extract from wells that in many cases have been producing for over a centuryso Ive learned a bit about the business, both upstream and downstream.). His fear was that people would politicize me and my dad. Did the Utah Legislature do enough to save the Great Salt Lake? Even in this day and age I meet members who view interracial marriages and relationships in a negative light. In your own life story, you are the main character! Donate to the newsroom now. Blessed be the name of the Lord. 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. Too many glories to express. Looking back, Gong sees plenty of clues to his sexuality that he failed to recognize at the time: Staring at a male underwear mannequin when he was a child. The in-person Family Discovery Day event will also feature free classes, activities and access to the expo hall. 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. He was born in Redwood City, California. I agree that people should go into an interracial marriage being mindful of the challenges. From at least 2002, Gong served as special assistant to the president of BYU for planning and assessment. This expressed so much of the happiness I feel today. He served as an LDS Church missionary in Taiwan. Oh Lord, hasten the healing of our unbelief. The storyteller and artist came out in defiance of my depression, he says, with a desperate will to survive. :). Learn more about guidelines and necessary forms. Arab? 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. 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. Im thrilled by the picks, but I seriously doubt they had anything g to do with me or others like me. Ask Peter. Latter-day Saint apostle Gerrit W. Gong speaks to members of the media in Salt Lake City in June 2018. 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.