Having people who know about petroleum extraction is always useful! 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. Arab? Although the family had provided the sketch, paint, and brushes, something had shifted. I struggled to find meaning in the spiritual void left by having been a flower growing in the wrong place., He hated that God had been taken from me, he says. 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 . The restored gospel is for every nation, kindred, and tongue. And that, I believe, is a blessing for all concerned. His mother's family are ethnic Chinese in Hawaii, and his father's family lived in California and other parts of the United States after his ancestors emigrated from China in the late 19th century. But getting to this place of peace with his trifold identity, says Gong, an artificial intelligence engineer in Seattle, has required hard work. That isnt to say father and son agree on all things. As far as Soares goes, He looks like a fairly typical Euro-Brazilian. [1] [Updated x2] There were early, polygamous members of church leadership who had Native or indigenous wives. Im sorry youve had to deal with this racism, you are a beautiful couple!! 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. His mother, an avid gardener, once explained the difference between flowers and weeds. The Gongs were married in 1980, not long after the lifting of the race-based priesthood and temple ban in 1978. and one of those categories is occupation. Of course not. I know several members of Elder Gong's extended family, and they couldn't be a more dynamic, talented, kind family. [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. 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. FredI strongly suspect that you would not have similar qualms about announcements that aligned with your own political priors. I dont know how it came to us; it just did, said Sister Susan Gong. They will . 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. But its a relief to know that the oil companies dont have to suck so hard. They will share some of their stories at Family Discovery Day during RootsTech 2023. 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. Gong is hardly alone in such a feeling of being misplaced, of course, but his experience is unusual. I dont know of anything further back in the family tree than that. [7], Gong graduated from Cubberley High School in Palo Alto, California, in 1971. Bright colors and vivid images filled the once-blank cinder block wall of the soup kitchen in Phnom Pehn, Cambodia. Home Realizacje i porady Bez kategorii gerrit gong family picture. :) Hope all is well. . He was born in Redwood City, California. As a missionary in Taiwan. Representation matters! Either way it helps us abide and grow. This means that Gong is the first member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in a multi-racial marriage. 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. And he still didnt know how to love himself. 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. Until he was 10, Matt Gong, the familys fourth of four sons, lived in the Washington, D.C., area, where his dad worked at a policy think tank. Come find your voice, your song, your harmony in Him. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan Gong. Both Elder and Sister Gong served as full-time missionaries in Taiwan; the couple married in January 1980 in the Salt Lake Temple. 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. 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. Cynthia, Here are 6 fun facts about Elder Gong. *We recommend that people marry those who are of the same racial background generally, and of somewhat the same economic and social and educational background (some of those are not an absolute necessity, but preferred).. 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. Which is empowering to those of us not necessarily agitating for change but asking sincere questions. Their marriage was performed by apostle David B. Haight, who had connections to their families from his time in California. This is the very purpose for which God created the heavens and the earth and saw that they were good. I agree that people should go into an interracial marriage being mindful of the challenges. I am pleased for him. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News. Campus Research People Faith Family Past Issues. Those interested in participating in the conference can register online at https://rootstech.org. Love you. Shes everything one would hope for someone in that role. Once ordained they joined the growing circle of priesthood power.. * I can attest that there are challenges inherent in my interracial + intercultural marriage, but there are challenges in every 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. 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. [17] Prior to joining the BYU administration, the Gongs had spent most of their married life in Maryland and Virginia. [11] Gong was a professor at various times at Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University. Representation matters. [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. 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. (Courtesy photo by Ryan Di Spaltro) 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. 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. My last post must have sounded like trolling as it has disappeared. Next I would really love for Adam and Eve in the temple videos to be an interracial couple. 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. Hi MB, Im really not the expert to speak on that. I will update the post as I get further information. The hard thing for ALL of us is to cope with (possibly) inspired decisions that conflict with our own political and philosophical intuitions. 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. 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. Susan is other-oriented and down-to-earth wherever she is, said Elder Gong. 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. Oh, the challenge of English adjectives. 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 the Quorum of the Twelve in March 2018. How can we have a people prepared for the millennium when we have countless exceptions to all are alike unto God? Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Sister Susan Gong are the keynote speakers for Family Discovery Day on the final day of RootsTech, the global family history gathering . Im very comfortable standing by that statement. As part of RootsTech 2023, Elder David A. Bednar and Elder Gerrit W. Gong will provide instruction to stake and ward leaders in the annual Temple and Family History Leadership Instruction. Big smiles in the Hedgehog home. Currently, he is the fourteenth most senior apostle in the church.[6]. It depends. As we discover our story, we connect, we belong, we become." 1. In order to celebrate Elder Gong's birthday, here are some photos showing his life and ministry to Latter-day Saints around the world. A powerful couple to help open up China. 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. 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. Some of the activities include a throw-back photo challenge, family history Twister, family selfie station and a giant family tree. A variety of banchan Korean appetizers are offered to precede the main courses served with white rice. 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 Featured. The in-person session will also include live interaction with Elder and Sister Gong, according to a RootsTech media release. We were grateful others were excited for children to have creative opportunities.. He also has responsibility in the Quorum of the Twelve for the church's Asia and Asia North areas. 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. Two, he is interested in everything, which makes him a fascinating person to live with. My wife is Japanese and Im Puerto Rican, whoop dee doo. Weeds, she told him, were plants growing where they werent wanted., His queerness, the opposite of his religious ethnicity, was something I was born with but not into, Gong says in an LGBTQ Affirmation conference speech, I had to discover it, like a secret birthright.. Thanks, New Iconoclast. 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. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke during the Saturday afternoon session of April 2022 general conference. There are over a billion Chinese citizens, and we non-Chinese are forbididen by law from discussing religion with them. All three parts of Gongs identity have shaped him, including heroic tales of service and sacrifice, and are worth celebrating. Elder Gerrit W. Gong, the first Asian-American Apostle, is a faithful lifelong Church member. Family history also encourages us to preserve our own experiences . Meet Elder Gerrit W. Gong: "Unfailingly Kind" Family Man. Matthew Gong, Matthew Gong is a minority three times over in his own words Chinese American, Mormon and queer.. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax Hales. 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