Submitted on July 23, 2013. I was worried that it would be deletedinstead I have been encouraged to look at it in new ways that I hadnt considered. I know several members of Elder Gongs extended family, and they couldnt be a more dynamic, talented, kind family. Ill check on her. I felt like the church that I have always thought was lead by God had caved in to the relentless pressure from those in the Mormon blogoshphere who are obsessed with promoting political correctness and diversity. Of course not. Ask Peter. and one of those categories is occupation. Elder David A. Bednar and Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; Primary General President Susan H. Porter; Sister Kristen M. Yee, Second Counselor in the Relief Society . Still, they often have warred within the psyche of this 29-year-old, leaving wounds that have taken years to heal. 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. 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. 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. 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. His father joined the Church after attending Stanford University, where his parents met and dated. Very happy about these calls for all sorts of reasons; thanks for adding another very cogent one to the pile! Thank you, Cynthia, for your poignant thoughts. A powerful couple to help open up China. They are the parents of four sons and have three grandchildren. [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. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Hi MB, Im really not the expert to speak on that. And love that something so small an interracial marriage can yet be so huge for your family and for others. 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). 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. :). Some places wanted to send only the best and most artistic children to participate. Here are 6 fun facts about Elder Gong. Im sorry youve had to deal with this racism, you are a beautiful couple!! Until very recently, church instruction manuals for institute and youthsuggested caution against 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. Come find your voice, your song, your harmony in Him. John. Good going church! He is the son of Gerrit W. Gong, an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 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. The restored gospel is for every nation, kindred, and tongue. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. [9] The Gongs married in the Salt Lake Temple on January 4, 1980. 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. Factor does not mean negative or positive it just is. 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). Arab? Otherwise it would be hard for that person to win the confidence of the senior leadership. Ours is a worldwide Church. 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. And he never brought it up. Sane liberals in the church dont have any illusions about their influence.). My last post must have sounded like trolling as it has disappeared. FredI strongly suspect that you would not have similar qualms about announcements that aligned with your own political priors. 37 Views. We used to hang out during our days at UCSD. By Emily Ashcraft, KSL.com | Posted - Feb. 27, 2023 at 5:46 p.m. Elder Gerrit W. Gong and Sister Susan Gong will be the keynote speakers for Family Discovery Day at RootsTech on Saturday. [20][21] Among other activities while Gong was president of the Asia Area, he created the second and third stakes in Thailand. I also rejoice in the callings of Elder Gong and Elder Soares. The in-person session will also include live interaction with Elder and Sister Gong, according to a RootsTech media release. Elder and Sister Gong's presentation will be broadcast on Saturday, March 4 . Bright colors and vivid images filled the once-blank cinder block wall of the soup kitchen in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. He seemed to remember a conversation with someone or something outside of himself that affirmed he was loved. Photo courtesy of the Gong family. July 10, 2022. Discover Gerrit W. Gong's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. 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 . I seriously doubt President Nelson was pandering to progressive Mormons. It will always be Top down, not bottom up. Editors note If you or people you know are at risk of self-harm, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24-hour support at 1-800-273-8255. Its very, very hard to do that with a small, centralized leadership group. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News. This is a grandly unique perspective on this appointment that I had not known, nor considered until reading your article. 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. They understand that diversity is out there, but they havent lived it, and there is no substitute for living it. A few early apostles married Scandinavian immigrants, but thats really stretching the definition of interracial marriage. for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.. 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. If that makes me bad/wrong, then so be it. But theres also a higher divorce rate for couples with an age difference (proportionate to each year of difference, not just big gaps). 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. Daily news, articles, videos and podcasts sent straight to your inbox. 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. 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. His known family tree is extensive (bless the tradition of Chinese family genealogy record-keeping) and is 100% Chinese. He also has responsibility in the Quorum of the Twelve for the church's Asia and Asia North areas. When the prophet starts allowing his decisions to be influenced by every wind of political and worldly doctrine everyone loses. Citation 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. I know several members of Elder Gong's extended family, and they couldn't be a more dynamic, talented, kind family. 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. Patterns of Discipleship. 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! I am pleased for him. Even though there are many things we dont understand, we know in Gods plan theres a place for every person in [the church].. 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. His first name is "Gerrit" and his last name is . 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. The OPs own experience of external challenges is evidence enough that race is a factor to consider! 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.. 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. [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. Connecting with God and to one another is so important. Although the family had provided the sketch, paint, and brushes, something had shifted. One, he is unfailingly kind, she said. We need to learn to love so unconditionally that we do not see race anymore, nor genders, nor other marginalization great and small. But the Gongs explained their project was an opportunity for all the children. 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. And that, I believe, is a blessing for all concerned. Although the character of the racism people of Asian descent experience in the US is very different from what Latinx and black people face, and the significance of that should not be minimized, it is still racism. I think generational biases are difficult to overcome when seeking the Lords will on things great and small. The choices you make will determine what happens in the "plot" of your life, and education can have a big impact. He encouraged listeners to connect with ancestors and descendants in uniting God's family. He really desires with all his heart to build the kingdom and bless Heavenly Fathers children. Representation matters. 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. What I hope for is a group that comes from different cultural backgrounds that can consider and represent a worldwide church. [7], Gong graduated from Cubberley High School in Palo Alto, California, in 1971. 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. His fear was that people would politicize me and my dad. I forgive you, he says. Did you hear Elder Oaks announce that 40% of.the GAs now have been born outside the US and then rattling off the countries? Four of my children have married half mixed spouses, two half Japanese and two half Hispanic in Utah. Copyright Daily Herald | www.heraldextra.com | 1200 Towne Centre Blvd. In your own life story, you are the main character! Its pretty easy to support and sustain what were used to; harder when there is a significant shift. How can we have a people prepared for the millennium when we have countless exceptions to all are alike unto God? Both men and women of Asian descent in the US face a media and social stereotype of being more submissive, passive, and infantilized. Reflecting the increasing diversity of the Church, Elder Gong became the first Asian-American Apostle, Elder Soares the first Apostle from South America. Is Elder Gong of mixed race? 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. 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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 . That is something the Gongs also learned from the children involved in their mural projects, undertaken during the Christmas season. Discover Gerrit W. Gong's Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. 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. [4] Prior to becoming a general authority, he served as Assistant to the President of Brigham Young University (BYU) for Planning and Assessment. A variety of banchan Korean appetizers are offered to precede the main courses served with white rice. More than anything he is American. 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. I confess Im a bit surprised that the OP is so vehemently opposed to suggestions of caution when approaching an interracial marriage. Elder Gong loves learning and spending time with family. 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 . Revelation: 2 Youd think wed try to start making trends on this issue as opposed to following them. At the risk of being a downer: there are still at least two places on lds.org with instructional materials containing a quote that members are encouraged to marry within their race. Da de descubrimiento familiar: lder y hermana Gong. Currently, he is the fourteenth most senior apostle in the church.[6]. Mental Health Minute: Who is Driving the Bus. Gong had just been named an apostle. That was later postponed indefinitely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 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