gerrit w gong family

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. In what way have you narrowed that definition that causes you to think you can exclude him from that? [7], Gong graduated from Cubberley High School in Palo Alto, California, in 1971. 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. Citation #progress. I hope this new leader does indeed provide an example that normalizes your family to our fellow Saints! Shes everything one would hope for someone in that role. Having a few interracial marriages in my extended family, Ive seen positive and negative consequences. The Q15 are smart men, and they have an intellectual understanding of the churchs diversity, but culturally they are almost all the same: old white men from the Mormon Belt. I commented on another thread here how much I admire Sister Susan Gong. [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. And he still didnt know how to love himself. [3] He is the LDS Church's first apostle of Asian descent. Elder Gong said he and Sister Gong love being with the members in every place they have the privilege to go. Ask Peter. The mural they created, which added light to the once colorless space, wasnt theirs. His fear was that people would politicize me and my dad. [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. But so is rejoicing for many other peoples realms of thought. INVITATION TO ACT: "We each have a story. (And alsowhat Kevin said. Elder Gong said, "On my mother's side . And he never brought it up. 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. The apostle choices here should be celebrated and I would say without much qualification for progressive mormons. Even at school, Gong, who easily passed as straight, grew increasingly silent, afraid of hugs and falling in love. Elder Gong loves learning and spending time with family. Elder and Sister Gong's presentation will be broadcast on Saturday . I will update the post as I get further information. This is a grandly unique perspective on this appointment that I had not known, nor considered until reading your article. Cheers. Big smiles from this multiethnic family too. Connecting with God and to one another is so important. He witnessed how the Lord touched many different people in Vietnam. (See related story.) What I hope for is a group that comes from different cultural backgrounds that can consider and represent a worldwide church. 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. Cannot load blog information at this time. 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. 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. Parents and children can work through the awkwardness and conflict over deep disagreements to arrive at a place where they are simply family. 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. I forgive you, he says. Bensen, recounting your personal experience with a few interracial marriages in [your] own family and supposing you can generalize from those experiences with those few particular people to arrive at broad statements about how race functions in marriage is, at the very least, a trifle naive. Its also more than a trifle condescending, considering that youre trying to correct someone who has actual first-hand experience of the potential issues youre describing. Gerrit W. Gong Featured. But the Gongs explained their project was an opportunity for all the children. [12][13] He joined this latter institution in 1989. 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. Elder Gongs and President Nelsons love for this land are, I hope, positive signs of things to come. The current government is becoming more repressive about such matters. The meeting will be available on the Gospel Library app and online in 11 languages beginning Its nice to see that a worldwide church now boasts 17% non-US born apostles. 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. A Rhodes Scholar who worked for the U.S. State Department and for the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., Elder Gongs travels have taken him to all seven continents, including living in Asia for more than a decade. 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 also know that its possible to find joy and peace in the church even when we find ourselves with a minority opinion. Love your family. Steven J. Lund. And I suspect their international cred was perceived as a big plus, not a minus. Revelation: 2 [37] A few days later, the church announced that he and his wife had tested positive for COVID-19, with Gong being the first high-ranking LDS Church leader with a positive test. 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 . Lasting Discipleship. Here are 6 fun facts about Elder Gong. In doing so, he gave himself the chance to extend grace to his past selves. The 2023 Temple and Family History Leadership Instruction of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints premieres online on Thursday, March 2, 2023. 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. For women of Asian descent, this results in a hypersexualized stereotype, an extreme but superficial sexual desirability captured in the ugly term yellow fever. For men of Asian descent, this same underlying stereotype results in media representations and prejudice against them as emasculated and lacking in sexual desirability or prowess. The Gongs were married in 1980, not long after the lifting of the race-based priesthood and temple ban in 1978. Why does ethnicity have to be politicized in Zion the way it is in Babylon? 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. Currently, he is the fourteenth most senior apostle in the church.[6]. The storyteller and artist came out in defiance of my depression, he says, with a desperate will to survive. Cynthia you make a great couple. (BTW its Brazilian with one l, not Brazillian with two. Daily news, articles, videos and podcasts sent straight to your inbox. Instead, the purpose of . Review of "We Each Have a Story" by Apostle Gerrit W. Gong. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/black-in-latin-america/featured/black-in-latin-america-full-episode-brazil-a-racial-paradise/224/. That is something the Gongs also learned from the children involved in their mural projects, undertaken during the Christmas season. Even though there are many things we dont understand, we know in Gods plan theres a place for every person in [the church].. One is Jacob Hamblin, often nicknamed Buckskin Apostle, though he was not actually part of the Twelve. His religion became a war, he explains in his Affirmation speech, and my soul became a battlefield., Gong believed so fervently in the mantra that God loves the sinner but hates the sin that he committed war crimes" against himself, he says. Thanks for calling attention to the interracial marriage barrier being broken and what this can mean to many families. He also has responsibility in the Quorum of the Twelve for the church's Asia and Asia North areas. Gong is married to Susan Lindsay, a daughter of Richard P. Lindsay. Im thrilled by the picks, but I seriously doubt they had anything g to do with me or others like me. He had a close almost familial relationship with de Jong and would refer to him as "Grandpa de Jong." 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. We used to hang out during our days at UCSD. Contributed BySarah Jane Weaver, Church News editor. Discover Gerrit W. Gong's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. But its something a couple should acknowledge and prepare for. Which is empowering to those of us not necessarily agitating for change but asking sincere questions. Ill check on her. 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. 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. The authors presentation assumes an intellectual supremacy that we all should come to the same interpretations.though I guess thats what opinions are. 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. I have five other children that have married Caucasians as well. Hemos detectado que ests en un navegador no compatible. 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.. Ours is a worldwide Church. Never a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 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. Please come find your family, all your generations, and bring them home.". There are any number of reasons I couldnt be happier about the newly-called Elder Gong and Elder Soares. Come find your voice, your song, your harmony in Him. Feel free to delete this comment after the edit.). But getting to this place of peace with his trifold identity, says Gong, an artificial intelligence engineer in Seattle, has required hard work. But perhaps she was thinking of a 70 or something. But beyond the particulars of Gongs experience, his story has a universal message of normalcy. Cautioning against interracial marriage on the grounds of it being challenging seems to contradict every Relief Society lesson Ive sat through about overcoming differences in a marriage. I also suspect that some of these people are forgetting that the world is not lacking in socially conservative Hispanics or Asian Americans. You were referring to citizenship and location of childhood ambient culture. I confess Im a bit surprised that the OP is so vehemently opposed to suggestions of caution when approaching an interracial marriage. Learn more about guidelines and necessary forms. Today blessed us a beautiful moment. Assigned to organize the second stake in Bangkok, Thailand, Elder Gong participated in the calling of priesthood leaders. I personally am not concerned about quota filling in the Quorum. I seriously doubt President Nelson was pandering to progressive Mormons. I had won the war in coming out but was left as broken as the battlefield.. That was later postponed indefinitely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 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]. I argued my doubts to a standstill and reclaimed my beliefs from where they lay.. 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. Shout out to Jusok. 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. I dont expect that these men will be cultural or political reformers. Also, doesnt Sister Rosana Fernandes Soares identify as a woman of color? And thus he came to see his gay self as a weed in the Latter-day Saint garden. [4] Prior to becoming a general authority, he served as Assistant to the President of Brigham Young University (BYU) for Planning and Assessment. Just start with the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese Internment. He looks part white to me. 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 hope my expression of joy in todays news does not in any way detract from any mixed feelings others may be having. @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. Elder Gong is a native born American citizen who grew up in America surrounded by Chinese culture at home and American culture in school and Northern California LDS culture at church and was raised by parents whose family trees are fully populated by people who were born in China. 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. Elder Gongs parents, both professional teachers, collectively spent more than 70 years in the classroom. God Bless You in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. 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. Biography. 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. Blessed be the name of the Lord. He hasnt aged at all. Im also the white half of an interracial marriage. Thank you, Cynthia, for your poignant thoughts. Elder Gerrit W. Gong and his wife, Susan, participate in a Christmas mural project in Vietnam. Again, its complicated and fluid. gerrit gong family picture . The in-person Family Discovery Day event will also feature free classes, activities and access to the expo hall. It will always be Top down, not bottom up. STE 1058, Provo, UT 84601, Elder Gerrit W. Gong, wife to keynote RootsTech Family Discovery Day. I believe inspiration comes to those who seek, as does revelation-like who to call to be apostles. All three parts of Gongs identity have shaped him, including heroic tales of service and sacrifice, and are worth celebrating. 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. 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. His father joined the Church after attending Stanford University, where his parents met and dated. 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. They are the parents of four sons and have three grandchildren. By Mike Rabus Posted 7/5/2022. 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. Although the family had provided the sketch, paint and brushes, something had shifted. Coming out, though, wasnt the happily-ever-after he had hoped it would be. 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. Elder Gong, whose ancestors left southern China in the late 19th century for work in the United States, was born into the Church. 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. I also rejoice in the callings of Elder Gong and Elder Soares. This means that Gong is the first member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in a multi-racial marriage. Also, only in the USA, would someone with Soaress phenotype be considered not white. Hes white everywhere else on the planet. Bright colors and vivid images filled the once-blank cinder block wall of the soup kitchen in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. 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. Gong then studied international relations at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, receiving a master's degree in 1979 and a D.Phil. Big smiles in the Hedgehog home. So, I will clarify to satisfy you both. Members of Elder Gerrit W. Gongs family stand in front of a mural project with the children who assisted them in Vietnam. 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. >:(. All rights reserved. As he said, "We each have a story.". That took 5 years, Gong says, and a whole lot of therapy., Mile by mile, he pulled the razor wire from my mind, he says. Elder Gerrit W. Gong, the first Asian-American Apostle, is a faithful lifelong Church member. Elder Gerrit W. Gong, the first Asian-American Apostle, is a faithful lifelong Church member. 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. That being said, my thoughts are that we may be making more of Elder Gongs lineage than is really there. For, say, a company whose mission is to suck oil out of the earth wherever possible, super-centralized leadership is not much of a problem; an organization like that just has to know how to focus its financial and political power like a laser, and acting at times like a steamroller is part of the game. But today, let us rejoice! Thank you for sharing! Ties with ancestors increase family closeness, gratitude, miracles. 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. We were grateful others were excited for children to have creative opportunities.. (The . Fred: and that is the value of diversity, across every possible category. Was he Mexican? My family name.. He and Ulisses Soares filled the vacancies created from the deaths of Thomas S. Monson and Robert D. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, will attend. Pressure from Mormon Blogosphere/Political Correctness: 0. While for *me* its not a big deal to see two races come together in marriage, to pretend its *objectively* not a factor at all is a trifle naive. Bright colors and vivid images filled the once-blank cinder block wall of the soup kitchen in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. Happening March 4, Family Discovery Day is free online and in-person. Loursat wrote: I dont expect that these men will be cultural or political reformers.. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News. "Ours is a worldwide Church. Both Elder and Sister Gong served as full-time missionaries in Taiwan; the couple married in January 1980 in the Salt Lake Temple. I am pleased for him. Some of the activities include a throw-back photo challenge, family history Twister, family selfie station and a giant family tree. Elder Gong was with Elder Quentin L. Cook and Elder Gary E. Stevenson in Vietnam when the Church received official recognition. Good going church! (For more reading on this, seehere,here, and here.). 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. 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. 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. 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. 1. His Chinese American family was also highly academic both parents have advanced degrees and had wide-ranging conversations, even heated debates. Work to make it different, but live in reality, too. And it takes strength to keep sustaining when a shift comes before one is ready. Two, he is interested in everything, which makes him a fascinating person to live with. However, I think that making leadership more diverse is almost certain to be a liberalizing influence over the long term. Theres also a correlation between small wedding ceremonies and divorce suggesting that couples thrive on social support. Its not a Chinese, Mormon or academic dinner-table topic. His known family tree is extensive (bless the tradition of Chinese family genealogy record-keeping) and is 100% Chinese. LDS Church wants to light up a temple in a place that prides itself on dark skies, For husband-and-wife team, this new restaurant is the culmination of a decadeslong dream, Gong took his place for a lifetime appointment in the faiths Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, asked in 2018 if having a gay son had affected his views on LGBTQ. Beyond the symbolic impact (which is important) no one should expect there will be much short or medium term impacts, but in 20 years when they become senior apostles there might be some hope of more open minds outside of the US conservative/Utah experience. He also on occasion continued to travel to Asia, such as being present for the official recognition of the LDS Church in Vietnam. [38] On October 16, the church announced that he and his wife had successfully completed their quarantines, and that Gong had been cleared by his doctors to resume his regular assignments the following week.[38]. People dont know their own blind spots until theyre pointed out to them. He is the son of Gerrit W. Gong, an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In order to celebrate Elder Gong's birthday, here are some photos showing his life and ministry to Latter-day Saints around the world. Ours is a worldwide Church, said Elder Gong. He said they have had an opportunity to weep together and pray together. Too many glories to express. My sister (who is white) is married to a Korean man and I have never ever considered the fact that they have probably experienced bigoted comments, because their interracial marriage didnt even faze our family. Their address will be delivered at 1:30 p.m. MST. 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. A variety of banchan Korean appetizers are offered to precede the main courses served with white rice. The restored gospel is for every nation, kindred, and tongue. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Because my story is happening publicly at the highest levels of the church, people ascribe extra meaning to it, he says in the interview, but from within the story, it feels like a typical narrative., The apostle and the queer son are just family, Gong repeats. 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. Its pretty easy to support and sustain what were used to; harder when there is a significant shift. Our hopes, ideologies, bigotries, boxes, traditions, and so many other human frailties stand in our way of knowing what God really wants for and from us that its sometimes seems a miracle to ever get it right. Meet Elder Gerrit W. Gong: "Unfailingly Kind" Family Man. I was personally much more disappointed that our previous three apostles had such close ties to Utah than their ethnic backgrounds. My last post must have sounded like trolling as it has disappeared. Elder Gong has a Dutch first name, an American middle name (Walter after his father) and a Chinese last name . BTW, given that oil often is found in strange places, experience and comfort with a wide range of cultures is a pretty big advantage. Patterns of Discipleship. Recommended dish: Korean BBQ platter. Sister Gong said there are three characteristics that are quintessential Gerrit Gong. Reflecting the increasing diversity of the Church, Elder Gong became the first Asian-American Apostle, Elder Soares the first Apostle from South America. Otherwise it would be hard for that person to win the confidence of the senior leadership. Mica Nicole is sure she had encountered one but was out and about and couldnt recall the specifics for me. We were grateful others were excited for children to have creative opportunities. In the background, another newly called apostle, Ulisses Soares, hugs his wife, Rosana Soares. Susan and Gerrit Gong (Church News photograph). The free event will feature live music, food and family discovery activities, with prizes ranging from DNA kits to a new laptop. Family Discovery Day is a free event and will begin Saturday, March 4 at 1:30 PM, MDT. Its just good to have people from outside of the Western US. They visited Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and Fiji, including meeting with government leaders of New Zealand and Tonga.

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