In 1979, he received a Master of Philosophy degree and in 1981 a Doctorate in international relations from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. Elder Gerrit W. Gong was sustained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on March 31, 2018. After speaking at a worldwide devotional on Sunday, Jan. 10, Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared his invitation for participants to take actions “that will help each of you as you strive to be valiant in your testimonies of Jesus Christ,” in a Facebook post that same night. These are invaluable years no matter where you are in your life,” she said. There are Jean Gongs and Melba Oakes all around, Elder Gong said. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. “Today my mother is 94 years old. Superficiality, mirages, secular rabbit holes distract and confuse. In a time defined by isolation, divisiveness and racial tensions, Elder Gerrit W. Gong invited young Latter-day Saints to help create a safe place for all to live the gospel. Elder Gerrit W. Gong, along with his wife Susan Gong, invited 100 young adults from two countries and 14 states to participate in a virtual discussion prior ... youtube.com. Following his call as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2010, Elder Gong served in the Asia Area Presidency from 2011 to 2015 and as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. “Put another way, we harvest what we plant — good is restored for good, as are righteousness, justice, and mercy.”, Sometimes life will feel unjust with hard, lonely moments, said Elder Gong, then encouraging his listeners to wait on the Lord with anticipation. He was assistant to the president for planning and assessment at Brigham Young University until April 2010. “It’s hard to see how these bits of color will resolve into a coherent pattern. “We need you. Here are a few facts about this new apostle you should know: Now is the season to develop talents, to seek out wise and righteous mentors, to create meaningful relationships and to be anxiously engaged in good causes. He has served in numerous Church callings, including full-time missionary, seminary teacher, bishop, stake mission president, stake president and Area Seventy. Jointly published by the Deseret News and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, its content supports the doctrines, principles and practices of the Church. Later, he was called to the Presidency of the Seventy on October 6, 2015. March 31, 2018 by Cynthia L. Susan and Gerrit Gong (Church News photograph) There are any number of reasons I couldn’t be happier about the newly-called Elder Gong and Elder Soares. We want church to be a place where we don’t judge each other and we repent if someone feels we are judging them in a hurtful way.”. He was sustained as a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 3, 2010. A Halloween Day groundbreaking officially launched construction of the Taylorsville Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As we become compassionate and inclusive, and invite others to do the same, our gospel community becomes more open, vulnerable and inviting. Italy Milan missionaries — from left, Sisters Cassandra Auger, Morgan Gray, Ryan Woodbury and Halle Wilson — model face masks sent from home outside an apartment in Pordenone, Italy, in May 2020. Credit: Photo courtesy of Sister Gail Browning. He has served in numerous Church callings, including full-time missionary, seminary teacher, bishop, … Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Sister Susan Gong will speak at a worldwide devotional for young adults on January 10, 2021. “Sometimes slowing down in things that matter less helps us find the things that matter most.”, One important way to know God is God is to discern His signature in creations made to gladden the heart, he said. Sister Susan Gong, wife of Elder Gerrit W. Gong, speaks during a worldwide devotional for young adults on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. 245.5k Followers, 15 Following, 34 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Gerrit W. Gong (@gerritwgong) My friends, I recognize you face many challenges, and I know many of... these challenges have been amplified during the pandemic. He married Susan Lindsay in January 1980. @gerritwgong: “A favorite part of Christmas is putting up Nativities, also known as creches, throughout our home.…” In 1985 he served as special assistant to the undersecretary of state at the U.S. State Department and in 1987 as special assistant to the U.S. ambassador in Beijing, China. We can still ‘press forward with steadfastness in Christ and a perfect brightness of hope’ (2 Nephi 31:20) because we know that our loving Heavenly Father has a plan for us.”. Elder Gong did not speak live because he was self-quarantining due to a … Apostle Gerrit W. Gong, … In a similar way, Sister Gong told young adults, they may feel the plan for their lives is not yet clear. The Apostle then cited a Church survey that lists the various ways young Latter-day Saints are addressing “pressing humanitarian needs” across the globe. 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. From 2011 to 2015, Elder Gong was a member of the Asia Area Presidency, headquartered in Hong Kong, and concluded that service as the Area President. Those who keep God’s commandments are and will be ‘blessed in all things.’”. “Living Water,” by Simon Dewey. Fear of missing out (FOMO) is old news, though we are still glued to our devices. Elder Gerrit W. Gong was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on March 31, 2018. It will be worth it.”, It matters less if an individual is first or sixth generation than that he or she is valiant in a testimony of Jesus Christ, Elder Gong said. “Please be a Melba Oakes or a Jean Gong — build relationships today that change the future, for the coming one, five, or even 77 years.”, The third invitation Elder Gong shared was to “become a better you by working with and beside the Lord of the Harvest.”, Through the law of the harvest — “for whatsoever a man [or woman] soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7) — the Lord can bless individuals with joy in the fruits of their labors, Elder Gong said. During the stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sister Gong said she has been working on a new skill — paper piece quilting. When Melba was 21 years old she befriended a 17-year-old convert named Jean. … We feel Heaven’s blessings as we express our love of God in doing all possible for our brothers and sisters, His sons and daughters, everywhere, in every way we can.”. However, I also know how I—and many others—have been able to gain strength through Jesus Christ in difficult times. “We don’t remember how noisy the kitchen fan is until we turn it off. Born to Walter Gong, a professor of natural sciences, and Jean Char, a schoolteacher, Gerrit W. Gong began his life in Redwood City, California on December 23, 1953. Another is to see goodness and meaning in divine relationships — “in tenderness, serendipity, reconciliation, forgiveness, sacrifice.”, Today’s noisy, cluttered world can make it hard to “be still” and “know that I am God,” Elder Gong continued. In a sense, we all become new converts, returning members, new move-ins, each seeking our way.”. Those invitations, the member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, have inspired him to deepen his relationship with God, change the future now and become a better version of himself. In speaking to the Church’s 2.3 million young adults ages 18-30 who live in some 180 countries across the globe, Elder Gong — participating with his wife, Sister Susan L. Gong — issued three invitations during the Worldwide Young Adult Devotional. “We want to be seen as adults, and to be responsible and contribute as adults. In conclusion, Elder Gong also encouraged young adults to worthily hold a current temple recommend, to serve in their local branch or ward, and to create a personal environment that nurtures faith and the keeping of God’s commandments. Following his call as a General Authority Seventy on April 3, 2010, Elder Gong served in the Asia Area Presidency from 2011 to 2015 and as a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. Do not let the world pretend to offer you things it cannot deliver,” he said. Elder Gong’s first invitation came from Psalms 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.”. “Perhaps our lives are unfolding in ways different from what we had hoped for. He married Susan Lindsay in January 1980. 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). Elder Gong said to be still is not to be lonely. In small and simple ways, Melba ministered to Jean. “Live worthy so the Holy Ghost can be your companion and help you find what you most need and seek. For the willing and humble, His is a gospel of second and third chances, to 70 times seven. Gerrit W. Gong Elder Gerrit W. Gong was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on March 31, 2018. https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/elder-gerrit-w-gong All need a safe place to ask and seek, to learn and live gospel doctrine and Church culture. … And God saw that it was good.”, He added: “God is knowing, powerful, and good. From 1989 he served in several positions at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. Some think multitasking 24/7 increases our value or importance.”, Individuals sometimes try to frame life as “insta-perfect” for an Instagram post, “even though we know ’insta-perfect’ is neither ‘insta-’ nor ‘perfect.’”, Elder Gong said to be still is not to be lonely. Gerrit W. Gong. Copyright © 2021 Deseret News Publishing Company. Gerrit W. Gong (Quorum of the Twelve Apostles), “All Nations, Kindreds, and Tongues” Summary Points . Elder Gong will share three invitations that will help you become more valiant in the testimony of Christ. They are the parents of four children and three grandchildren. Official Facebook page for Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Gerrit W. Gong was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on March 31, 2018. Covenant Belonging October 2019. Gerrit W. Gong. Where there is spiritual famine in the land, disciples of Christ celebrate Him as the Living Water and the Bread of Life, he said. Elder Gong said he and his wife, Sister Gong, recently drove to a place so “dark and beautiful” they could see the Milky Way. This faith and trust in the Lord, as Elder Gerrit W. Gong expressed in a BYU–Hawaii devotional in 2013, is the pattern after which he has established his life. SALT LAKE CITY — Elder Gerrit W. Gong announced Friday that he and Sister Susan Gong have completed their quarantines 10 days after positive COVID-19 tests for the member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife. In losing our worldly self through covenant belonging, we find and become our best eternal self—free, alive, real—and define our most important relationships. They … He had served as a General Authority Seventy from April 3, 2010 until the time of his call to the Twelve. He had served as a General Authority Seventy from April 3, 2010 until the time of his call to the Twelve. Our Campfire of Faith October 2018. But gradually as you cut, patiently stitch, and press over and over again a beautiful design emerges.”. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Sister Susan Gong will speak at a worldwide devotional for young adults on January 10, 2021. To those who are the only member in his or her family, Elder Gong said, “You are valiant and faithful, but often it is hard. “That does not mean that we are waiting for life to begin. Elder Gerrit W. Gong speaks in a prerecorded message broadcast during the 190th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020. December 30, 2020 at 8:38 AM. A virtual choir performs during a worldwide devotional with Elder Gerrit W. Gong and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, on Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. Sadly, Elder Gong continued, some of his mother’s friends are no longer in the Church. Young adults and their friends are sewing masks, supporting women’s refuge centers, helping with natural disaster clean-up and relief, providing children nutrition, building local communities and other service projects. “Heaven is not waiting for the pandemic to end, for me to lose ten pounds, or for you to be married to the person of your dreams for us to become true disciples — to keep His commandments, especially to love the Lord and our neighbors,” Sister Gong said. “I pray, taken together, these invitations will strengthen your faith and draw you closer to God and those around you, as you find enduring joy on His covenant path,” the Apostle said during the live broadcast from Temple Square on Sunday, Jan. 10. They remained friends after Jean met a wonderful man named Walter, who was baptized and became a faithful Church member and stake patriarch. Elder Gong had served as a General Authority Seventy from April 3, 2010 until the time of his call to the Twelve. 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