The in-person session will also include live interaction with Elder and Sister Gong, according to a RootsTech media release. 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. Contributed BySarah Jane Weaver, Church News editor. The greatest Mormon blog in the universe. The mural they created, which added light to the once colorless space, wasnt theirs. Elder Gong, the oldest of three children, inherited his parents love for learning. 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 they are, it will be a pleasant surprise.) I can also attest that there are benefits inherent in my interracial + intercultural marriage. Its not a Chinese, Mormon or academic dinner-table topic. 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. Brazilians, in the USA, dont like getting lumped in with latinos. Members of Elder Gerrit W. Gongs family stand in front of a mural project with the children who assisted them in Vietnam. Even at school, Gong, who easily passed as straight, grew increasingly silent, afraid of hugs and falling in love. Ties with ancestors increase family closeness, gratitude, miracles. [14], Even before joining the administration at BYU, Gong was involved in educational policy issues. Cheers. The church desperately needed someone who represented Latin and South American saints symbolically and with experience in the 12. If the supposed universal differences between men and women are assets in a marriage, why not differences in race? 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. Yes, I have the most beautiful grandchildren. Submitted on July 23, 2013. 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. He is also ranked in the richest person list from United States. (The . And it takes strength to keep sustaining when a shift comes before one is ready. Its most likely that any individual called into the Q12 is pretty socially conservative. 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. Factor does not mean negative or positive it just is. Until very recently, church instruction manuals for institute and youthsuggested caution against interracial marriages. Elder Gong loves learning and spending time with family. 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. Citation God Bless You in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. 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. Its impossible to have any credibility as a global church if we have almost no cultural and ethnic diversity among the most senior leaders. Why treat it like a zero-sum game? I was worried that it would be deletedinstead I have been encouraged to look at it in new ways that I hadnt considered. in 1980. 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. 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. Their marriage was performed by apostle David B. Haight, who had connections to their families from his time in California. I dont know how it came to us; it just did, said Sister Susan Gong. 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. 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. sltrib.com 1996-2023 The Salt Lake Tribune. He said they have had an opportunity to weep together and pray together. [27][28][29][30], In November 2019, Gong presided over a worldwide broadcast that announced the LDS Church's new youth program. 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 mural they created, which added light to the once colorless space, wasn't theirs. @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. (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.). Both men and women of Asian descent in the US face a media and social stereotype of being more submissive, passive, and infantilized. This is the very purpose for which God created the heavens and the earth and saw that they were good. Cannot load blog information at this time. His father joined the Church after attending Stanford University, where his parents met and dated. You were referring to citizenship and location of childhood ambient culture. I believe the Lord uses those who have specific skills to move His church forward.and Sister Gong is fluent in Mandarin. Work to make it different, but live in reality, too. Im sorry youve had to deal with this racism, you are a beautiful couple!! They understand that diversity is out there, but they havent lived it, and there is no substitute for living it. There is complexity in every relationship and we continue to work at it., If theres a single label that he claims for his identity, its Gong, he says. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/black-in-latin-america/featured/black-in-latin-america-full-episode-brazil-a-racial-paradise/224/. Its just good to have people from outside of the Western US. Elder Gong as a baby with his parents. Loursat wrote: I dont expect that these men will be cultural or political reformers.. Elder Gong, whose ancestors left southern China in the late 19th century for work in the United States, was born into the Church. He also on occasion continued to travel to Asia, such as being present for the official recognition of the LDS Church in Vietnam. 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. Thank you Jason K. You make an excellent point. 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. 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. With all the comments here I echo the joy in seeing a diverse Quorum. Term ended by removal of apostleship; was later excommunicated. 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. Oh, the challenge of English adjectives. He has deep credentials (both in church service and big worldly accomplishments), and he is born and bred American. Here goes: When the names of the two new apostles were read I felt sick in the pit of my stomach. Thank you for sharing! . Fred: and that is the value of diversity, across every possible category. Reserve a spot at the After-Party by FamilySearch using eventbrite.com. On Buzzlearn.com, Gerrit is listed as a successful leader who was born in the year of 1953. [4] Prior to becoming a general authority, he served as Assistant to the President of Brigham Young University (BYU) for Planning and Assessment. 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.. Just start with the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese Internment. 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 . As we discover our story, we connect, we belong, we become." 1. Discover Gerrit W. Gong's Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. 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. #progress. I dont expect that these men will be cultural or political reformers. Love the Gongs. Gong had just been named an apostle. I am just grateful to know that this comes one day at a time and that when you are on the Lords errand, you receive the Lords help. He was born on December 23, 1953 and his birthplace is California, Redwood City California. Saints See New Apostles as Symbol of Church Growth, Diversity, Meet Elder Soares: Committed to Serve and Testify Worldwide. But getting to this place of peace with his trifold identity, says Gong, an artificial intelligence engineer in Seattle, has required hard work. Hales. There are over a billion Chinese citizens, and we non-Chinese are forbididen by law from discussing religion with them. Elder Gong was on my list of best case scenarios. Five Frameworks on Iraq. Keynote speakers will include Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his wife, Sister Susan Gong; actor Sean Astin of Lord of the Rings fame; singer Jordan Sparks; photographer Me Rah Koh; and others. Family history also encourages us to preserve our own experiences . Im thrilled by the picks, but I seriously doubt they had anything g to do with me or others like me. (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. 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. But you probably didnt know how cool it was. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, will attend the event I thought the image was beautiful and so when I came out, I clung to the idea that I was somehow like the poppies.. [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. [26], In May 2019, Gong and his wife accompanied Russell M. Nelson and his wife on a ministry tour to the Pacific region. The OPs own experience of external challenges is evidence enough that race is a factor to consider! * I can attest that there are challenges inherent in my interracial + intercultural marriage, but there are challenges in every marriage. Campus Research People Faith Family Past Issues. 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. [12][13] He joined this latter institution in 1989. Brazilian members of the Church make up over 8% of the total church membership (as of just over a year ago). But the Gongs explained their project was an opportunity for all the children. 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. Love your family. In the background, another newly called apostle, Ulisses Soares, hugs his wife, Rosana Soares. (Haight had helped to overcome some of the misgivings some family members had about the interracial marriage. The in-person Family Discovery Day event will also feature free classes, activities and access to the expo hall. 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]. There was almost no better realistic possibility than these two picks. From one who knows nothing, I couldnt help but see Elder Gong being placed in position to help open up China. Put On Thy Strength, O Zion. Gong then studied international relations at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, receiving a master's degree in 1979 and a D.Phil. (BTW its Brazilian with one l, not Brazillian with two. Come discover yours. He looks part white to me. The free event will feature live music, food and family discovery activities, with prizes ranging from DNA kits to a new laptop. They hadnt earned my forgiveness, but I had.. I dont know of anything further back in the family tree than that. Daily news, articles, videos and podcasts sent straight to your inbox. 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. 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. But so is rejoicing for many other peoples realms of thought. [23] Among his assignments while in the Presidency of the Seventy, Gong served on the Church Board of Education and Boards of Trustees, where he also served as a member of its executive committee. He witnessed how the Lord touched many different people in Vietnam. (See related story.) I agree that people should go into an interracial marriage being mindful of the challenges. Reading the D&C, it seems that revelation is often (indeed, almost always) responsive to external realities. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Of his new assignment, Elder Gong said it was overwhelming to have President Nelson tenderly take my hands in his and extend a call to the apostleship. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, will attend. By that, I mean, sure hes of Asian decent, but he is still the same mold as all the other GAs/Apostles. 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. (For more reading on this, seehere,here, and here.). Did the Utah Legislature do enough to save the Great Salt Lake? 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