Their address will be delivered at 1:30 p.m. MST. He previously served as a member of the Asia Area Presidency and member of the Presidency of the Seventy.During his 20 years in Washington, D.C., he served as special assistant to the undersecretary of state at the U.S. State Department, as special . In what way have you narrowed that definition that causes you to think you can exclude him from that? 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). That our interactions would be nitpicked to brand us as avatars of ideologies, Gong writes on a Facebook post. His family relationships clarified, my friend said, "I feel free, at peace. Big smiles from this multiethnic family too. 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. 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. Patterns of Discipleship. I spent part of the weekend looking for synonyms for overwhelming because overwhelming doesnt seem to cover it, said Sister Gong. We need more voices that reflect the churchs greatness in diversity. Currently, he is the fourteenth most senior apostle in the church.[6]. They began dating a few years later, in the summer when Gong had returned from Oxford to spend a few weeks with his parents, during a time his father was a BYU professor. [17] Prior to joining the BYU administration, the Gongs had spent most of their married life in Maryland and Virginia. (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.). 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. Discover Gerrit W. Gong's Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. [8] He graduated from BYU in 1977 with a bachelor of arts. The thoughts expressed below are my authentic feelings. He witnessed how the Lord touched many different people in Vietnam. (See related story.) 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. #progress. Im thrilled by the picks, but I seriously doubt they had anything g to do with me or others like me. Come discover yours. 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. 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 . Elder Gong loves learning and spending time with family. 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. And he still didnt know how to love himself. (The . Cynthia, thanks for sharing. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax 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 . 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. 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 . 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. And it takes strength to keep sustaining when a shift comes before one is ready. 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. But the Gongs explained their project was an opportunity for all the children. 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. 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. Enter your email address to follow BCC and receive new posts by email. Arent we missing that All are alike unto God? We were grateful others were excited for children to have creative opportunities.. Ask those who believed in the 1978 Official Declaration long before it came. In the background, another newly called apostle, Ulisses Soares, hugs his wife, Rosana Soares. Loursat wrote: I dont expect that these men will be cultural or political reformers.. After Joseph's baptism, the Young brothers taught their family and friends in Canada and baptized over 150 individuals and established four branches of the church, including ones in Kingston and Sydenham. I believe inspiration comes to those who seek, as does revelation-like who to call to be apostles. Its nice to have this forum where you can say what you are really thinking rather than in a classroom at church where you pretty much have to say the party line. Felix was referring to genetics. :). Winter 2003 Contact Us Advertising News & Alumni. [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. Elder Gerrit W. Gong, the first Asian-American Apostle, is a faithful lifelong Church member. As he said, "We each have a story.". Mental Health Minute: Who is Driving the Bus. Cheers. 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. Elder Gerrit W. Gong and his wife, Susan, participate in a Christmas mural project in Vietnam. Ties with ancestors increase family closeness, gratitude, miracles. He hasnt aged at all. By that, I mean, sure hes of Asian decent, but he is still the same mold as all the other GAs/Apostles. I argued my doubts to a standstill and reclaimed my beliefs from where they lay.. 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. Although reasonable latter-day saints have long, long since realized there is no place for any disapproval of marriage based on race, this is still a big deal. Mikayla Thatcher is here with Beehive Girl to tell you that it was amazing beyond your wildest dreams. The in-person Family Discovery Day event will also feature free classes, activities and access to the expo hall. 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. [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 was worried that it would be deletedinstead I have been encouraged to look at it in new ways that I hadnt considered. 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. I agree. As we discover our story, we connect, we belong, we become." 1. AmyT thanks for weighing in! Thanks, New Iconoclast. Since there is a sub thread discussion about race here, Ill just highlight this very good and enlightening piece by PBS from a few years ago about race in Brazil. This white British woman with Japanese husband and two children is with you all the way on this one. Thanks all for the kind answers to my post. 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. 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. He said they have had an opportunity to weep together and pray together. Hemos detectado que ests en un navegador no compatible. Shout out to Jusok. I have five other children that have married Caucasians as well. [20][21] Among other activities while Gong was president of the Asia Area, he created the second and third stakes in Thailand. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/black-in-latin-america/featured/black-in-latin-america-full-episode-brazil-a-racial-paradise/224/. Here in China, members of our small LDS ex-pat branch are thrilled at Elder Gongs call to the Quorum of the Twelve. Photo courtesy of the Gong family. Today we both celebrate andlook forward. Maybe well get rid of those now. Elder Soares, a Brazillian, brings long-overdue representation from the southern hemisphere. Once ordained they joined the growing circle of priesthood power.. It takes strength to keep sustaining when one is ready for shifts and even sees wisdom in them, but they dont come. 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. Im also the white half of an interracial marriage. 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. Gong reflects on September 11th and reviews perspectives on war.