Gerrit W. Gong, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, urged Brigham Young University students Tuesday to learn things That was later postponed indefinitely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. ELDER GERRIT W. GONG The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 20, 2020 . His mother, an avid gardener, once explained the difference between flowers and weeds. Before moving to Gerrit's current city of Provo, UT, Gerrit lived in Salt Lake City UT. Oct 4, 2020 - This Pin was discovered by Stewart Fam. Elder Gong as a missionary in Taiwan, photo from ChurchofJesusChrist.org. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax He is the son of Gerrit W. Gong, an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (See 2 Nephi 31:18)" - Gerrit W. Gong, "Christ the Lord is Risen Today," General Conference April 2018 Click here to read or listen to the full talk. 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 weren’t exactly sure about his ethnicity. 2. God Will Do Something Unimaginable. That took 5½ years, Gong says, and “a whole lot of therapy.”, Mile by mile, he “pulled the razor wire from my mind,” he says. The Healing Power of Jesus Christ. Mormons across the globe cheered the /">appointment in March of two apostles who seemed to represent the faith’s growing diversity — Gerrit W. Gong, a … Official Facebook page for Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Currently, he is the fourteenth most senior apostle in the church.[6]. Gong is married to Susan Lindsay, a daughter of Richard P. Lindsay. Official Facebook page for Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 60K likes. [39] 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. “I don’t know how it came to us, it just did,” said Sister Susan Gong. [3] He is the LDS Church's first apostle of Asian descent. Coming out, though, wasn’t the happily-ever-after he had hoped it would be. He had served as a General Authority Seventy from 2010 until the time of his call to the Twelve. Heung Jin Moon (Korean: 문흥진; October 23, 1966 – January 2, 1984), also referred to by members of the Unification Church as Heung Jin Nim or posthumously as Lord Heung Jin Nim(흥진님 귀족), was the second son of church founders Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han.At the age of 17 he died in a vehicle accident in New York State. 26 Quotes by Gerrit W. Gong; “Covenant Belonging” by Sherri Jorgensen | -General Conference, Belonging, change the world, Child of God, Come Unto Christ Artwork, Covenants, Gerrit W. Gong, God's Love, Keep the Commandments, light the world, Love, Overcoming the World, Plan of Salvation, Salvation. darrell.lewis.186. 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. In October 2015, Gong was appointed to the Presidency of the Seventy, filling a vacancy created by Ronald A. Rasband's call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Thank you for sharing. [28], In May 2019, Gong and his wife accompanied Russell M. Nelson and his wife on a ministry tour to the Pacific region and they visited Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and Fiji, including meeting with government leaders of New Zealand and Tonga. [16] 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. By all accounts he is a brilliant and highly educated man who supports his Gay son. By Topic. Apostle Gerrit W. Gong, who recently was exposed to the coronavirus, has tested positive, becoming the first leader in the upper echelons of The Church of … And he never brought it up. Elder Gerrit W. Gong could aptly be called an “adopted son” of Taylorsville. 26 Quotes by Gerrit W. Gong; “Covenant Belonging” by Sherri Jorgensen | -General Conference, Belonging, change the world, Child of God, Come Unto Christ Artwork, Covenants, Gerrit W. Gong, God's Love, Keep the Commandments, light the world, Love, Overcoming the World, Plan of Salvation, Salvation. My mother taught kindergarten and first grade. In this conversation. And thus he came to see his gay self as a “weed” in the Latter-day Saint garden. Gong graduated from Cubberley High School in Palo Alto, California, in 1971. So I’ll cite and comment on parts of it, with appreciation to Mr. or Ms. Matthew S. Holland. Dieter F. Uchtdorf. Elder Gerrit W. Gong, newly sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, in Salt Lake City. I could not have been more proud of our fabulous missionaries. of the Quorum of … His Chinese American family was also highly academic — both parents have advanced degrees — and had wide-ranging conversations, even heated debates. “I thought the image was beautiful and so when I came out, I clung to the idea that I was somehow like the poppies.”. Check the link belowhttps://imabouttolevelup.biz/affiliate-home/CHECK OUT THIS CHANNEL FOR LEARNING HINDI! This means that Gong is the first member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in a multi-racial marriage. The church announced Tuesday that he and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, had tested … Though Gong’s relationship with his parents got off to a “rocky start” after he came out — not for lack of love or rejection but for miscommunication — they are now as close as ever and talk almost every week. [17] The Gongs married in the Salt Lake Temple on January 4, 1980, the marriage being performed by apostle David B. Haight who had connections to their families from his time in California. And he still didn’t know how to love himself. Elder Gerrit W. Gong (LDS Church) Remembering the Savior and his promises should be an everyday essential. “On my mission, I learned that the first things to grow on the battlefields of France after World War I, were poppies, blood-red poppies,” Gong tells the Affirmation virtual audience. The Spirit was present in abundance. [7] 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. 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. Gong had just been named an apostle. 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. Wonderful thought. they wondered. 60K likes. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Center for Strategic and International Studies, National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, Church Board of Education and Boards of Trustees, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Mormon church names new seventies, Primary presidency", "Elder Gerrit W. Gong: 'A nice guy' — A man of faith and learning", "Leadership Changes in Presidency of the Seventy Announced", "Mormon Church Selects 2 Senior Leaders, and Neither Is a White American", "Elder Gerrit W. Gong - Ensign May 2010 - ensign", "A First for the Rhodes Scholars: 13 Women Are Among the Winners", "Apostle timeline: Elder Gerrit W. Gong - BYU-I Scroll", "TRADE, RIGHTS ISSUES CLOUD MEETING OF PACIFIC ALLIANCE", "BYU - Planning and Assessment - Gerrit W. Gong", article on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Thailand, "Changes announced for Area Presidencies", article mentioning recognition of the LDS Church in Vietnam, "Latter-day Saints Sustain New First Presidency in Solemn Assembly: Two new leaders named to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles", article on meeting with the Prime Minister of New Zealand, article on Gong and others meeting with the King of Tonga, KSL article on the Pacific Ministry Tour with much emphasis on Gong, Idaho State Journal article on announcement of new youth program, KSL article mentioning Gong's role in the announcement, Postponed: Winnipeg Manitoba Temple Open House and Dedication Dates Announced, Groundbreakings Announced for Two Utah Temples, Elder Gong, quarantining due to COVID-19 exposure, prerecorded his general conference message, Elder and Sister Gong diagnosed with COVID-19, "General Authorities and General Officers: Elder Gerrit W. Gong", The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints titles, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gerrit_W._Gong&oldid=1000223801, Members of the First Quorum of the Seventy (LDS Church), American general authorities (LDS Church), Articles with incomplete citations from November 2015, Latter Day Saint biography Infobox with missing parameters, Articles containing Chinese-language text, Articles needing additional references from July 2020, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Called to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "Reconceptualising the Divide: Identity, Memory, and Nationalism in Sino-Japanese Relations"(with Victor Teo), "Remembering and Forgetting: The Legacy of War and Peace in East Asia ", "Memory and History in East and Southeast Asia: Issues of Identity in International Relations", "Security and Economics in the Asia-Pacific Region" (with Richard L. Grant), "Taiwan Strait Dilemmas : China-Taiwan-U.S. Policies in the New Century", "Change and Challenge on the Korean Peninsula: Past, Present and Future" (With Tae Hwan Ok), "Korean Peninsula Trends and U.S.-Japan-South Korea Relations"(with Seizaburo Sato), "Sino-American Relations at a Time of Change"(with Bih-Jaw Lin), "Areas of Challenge for Soviet Foreign Policy in the 1980s ", "The Standard of 'Civilization' in International Society", This page was last edited on 14 January 2021, at 05:11. [12][13] He joined this latter institution in 1989. I was never so different [that] I couldn’t be potentially included.”. 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. He is the son of, “I don’t 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, His fear was that “people would politicize me and my dad. They came so prepared to learn. The Culture of Christ. Ich benötige einen externen Gong, der auf den Tastendruck an der T25 reagiert. “Gerrit, please tell our sisters how much I love them.” Dear sisters, my father and mother spent their professional careers teaching. [33][34][35][36], In early 2020, the church announced that Gong would preside at the November dedication of the Winnipeg Manitoba Temple, originally set to occur in mid-November. Would you like to become an affiliate. He can't honestly view things like Oaks does. Mr. Gong is from China, and Mr. Soares, Brazil. Donate to the newsroom now. He and his lovely wife, Susan spent 3 days teaching, lifting and inspiring us. Gerrit W. Gong shared a photo on Instagram: “In light of our world’s current events, I wish to offer some thoughts about turning our hearts and…” • See 42 photos and videos on their profile. 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. He had served as a General Authority Seventy from April 3, 2010 until the time of his call to the Twelve. Gerrit W. Gong. Even at school, Gong, who easily passed as straight, grew increasingly silent, afraid of hugs and falling in love. “I buried land mines and razor wire in my brain so that my heart couldn’t get out.”, If Gong hadn’t come out, he says, “I would have fought in the war till I died by suicide.”. 97w. 96w Reply. “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 church’s “patterns and behaviors of abuse,” he says, “don’t have to be there; they are not inherent in the doctrine.”. 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. [8] He received a bachelor's degree from BYU and then was a Rhodes Scholar, receiving both a master's degree and D.Phil. 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. “...I confronted and broke down the lies I had been told about what it means to be queer. [19] Prior to joining the BYU administration, the Gongs had spent most of their married life in Maryland and Virginia. EMBLEMAS, MEDALLONES PARA JOVENES [ CARA A CARA CON ELDER GERRIT W. GONG - ] 2019. If you do so, they will provide you with the guidance you need to navigate life’s thorny paths. “I experienced confusion, sexual assault and rejection as I stumbled through my new life,” Gong says. 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. Gong was born in 1953 in Redwood City, California, to Walter Gong and Jean Char and raised in Palo Alto, California. Thanks for sharing great idea! 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). Each item on the list starts with, “3 things in life that….” Here they are, for your consideration: 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. [11] Gong was a professor at various times at Georgetown University and Johns Hopkins University. Elder Gong was named for LDS convert Gerrit de Jong Jr., who was the first dean of the College of Fine Arts at Brigham Young University and who wrote the words and music for the hymn "Come, Sing to the Lord." He is the LDS Church's first apostle of Asian descent. Greg HillChurch News staff writer. When Elder Gong asked about their second son, he found out he was preparing to play Jean Valjean in a musical production of “Les Miserables.” Elder Gong then shared his love for the story, the character of Jean Valjean, and the musical. He gave them his card and invited them to a Tabernacle Choir performance when they were in Salt Lake City. Prior to becoming a general authority, he served as Assistant to the President of Brigham Young University(BYU) … “I held my ground … and I silenced their rage with my story as I spoke with my own voice. Elder Gerrit W. Gong was born on December 23, 1953, in California. From 2011 to 2015, Elder Gong was a member of the … 96w Reply. He was named a member of the Presidency of the Seventy on October 6, 2015. 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. [37] The church later announced that Gong, whose wife has ties to Taylorsville, Utah, would preside at the October 2020 groundbreaking for the temple in that city. Elder Gong received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian and university studies from Brigham Young University in 1977. “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. Elder Gerrit W. Gong, newly sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, in Salt Lake City. 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.[15]. (Courtesy photo by Ryan Di Spaltro) Elder Gong shares the lessons we have the opportunity to seek after now, so that in the future we can grow closer to Christ in understanding and love. Elder Gerrit W. Gong, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, greets attendees after speaking at the BYU Women’s Conference at the Marriott Center in Provo on Friday, May 4, 2018. Credit: Spenser Heaps, Deseret News. W. Christopher Waddell. “I had won the war in coming out but was left as broken as the battlefield.”. 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. 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. “One, he is unfailingly kind,” she said. But getting to this place of peace with his trifold identity, says Gong, an artificial intelligence engineer in Seattle, has required hard work. One Latter-day Saint seminary teacher kept trying to tell him he was Korean, because the instructor knew a Korean kid with a similar last name. But beyond the particulars of Gong’s experience, his story has a universal message of normalcy. That might mean “calling people you have not talked to in a long time or making contact with people you have known only casually.” One of the things the Gongs have tried to … He had served as a General Authority Seventy from 2010 until the time of his call to the Twelve. Parents and children can work through the awkwardness and conflict over deep disagreements to arrive at a place where they are simply family. Video: The … The church announced Tuesday that he and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, had tested … Elder Soares, a Brazillian, brings long-overdue representation from the southern hemisphere. 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 to his January 2021 Worldwide Devotional. 1. 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). “My family name.”, Gong took his place for a lifetime appointment in the faith’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, asked in 2018 if having a gay son had affected his views on LGBTQ. 96w Reply. Devotional “We Seek After These Things” Gerrit W. Gong. His American middle name, Walter, comes from his father, and his Chinese last name, Gong, dates back 33 generations to the late Tang dynasty in AD 837. 28 Liahona Our covenants connect us to God and to each other. Until he was 10, Matt Gong, the family’s fourth of four sons, lived in the Washington, D.C., area, where his dad worked at a policy think tank. Was he Mexican? After his call to the First Quorum of the Seventy, he served as a counselor in the church's Asia Area from 2011 to 2013,[20][21] then as the area's president beginning in August 2013 and continuing in this position until the end of 2015. He is the LDS Church's first apostle of Asian descent. Tätig sind die Qigong-Ausbilder nach den Allgemeinen Ausbildungsrichtlinien im Rahmen des seit 1988 ges. deductible. He later served as a special assistant in the United States State Department, as well as special assistant to the ambassador at the United States Embassy in Beijing, China. Credit: Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News. Elder Gong as a baby with his parents, photo from ChurchofJesusChrist.org. What great insight! in International Relations from Oxford University. 31 Mar 2018. As of this date, Gerrit is married. Sharon Eubank. “Two, he is interested in everything, which makes him a fascinating person to live with. For example, a bus station is where a bus stops. From at least 2002 Gong served as special assistant to the president of BYU for planning and assessment. I could not have been more proud of our fabulous missionaries. Anonymous. Gerrit W. Gong Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles The Miracle of Covenant Belonging The harmony of our covenants and the Atonement of Jesus Christ is heard in melodies and descants as drawing on our Savior’s Atonement helps us fulfill our covenants in a new and holier way. 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. Having crushes on boys in elementary school. 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. Still, they often have warred within the psyche of this 29-year-old, leaving wounds that have taken years to heal. 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. By Speaker By Topic By Date Collections By Study and By Faith Blog. William K. Jackson. Sometimes Gerrit goes by various nicknames including Gerrit W Gong and Gerrit Walter Gong. [22][23] Among other activities while Asia Area President Gong created the second and third stakes in Thailand. He began to heal, until there was one final battle: to face institutions and people who had harmed and abused him. There Was Bread. He and his lovely wife, Susan spent 3 days teaching, lifting and inspiring us. hanspex50. Three, he loves the Lord. Women’s Session. https://bookofmormonresources.blogspot.com/2018/03/gerrit-walter-gong.html Brothers and sisters, isn’t language interesting? 96w Reply. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News. He must be a deeply conflicted man. In doing so, he gave himself the chance to extend grace to his past selves. 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. This past weekend my colleagues and I were grateful to meet the stake presidencies, bishops, elders … He also has responsibility in the Quorum of the Twelve for the church's Asia and Asia North areas. At the time, he was a professor at BYU. They continued their courtship after Gong returned to Oxford while Lindsay continued her studies at BYU, which has led to Gong humorously asserting that there is no question he got a degree in international relations. toggle menu. Thank you!!!! Great counsel! “There is complexity in every relationship — and we continue to work at it.”, If there’s a single label that he claims for his identity, it’s “Gong,” he says. Elder Gerrit W. Gong is a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. He served as a missionary for the LDS Church in Taiwan. “One, he is unfailingly kind,” she said. (Rick Egan | Tribune file photo) [25] 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 the Executive Committee. Latter-day Saint apostle Gerrit W. Gong speaks to members of the media in Salt Lake City in June 2018. Klar, die Pushen Funktion ist gut und klappt auch. [27], In May 2018, Gong and his wife spoke at the BYU Women's Conference. Three, he loves the Lord. He seemed to remember a conversation with someone or something outside of himself that affirmed he was loved. “They hadn’t earned my forgiveness, but I had.”. sltrib.com © 1996-2021 The Salt Lake Tribune. geschützten Qualitätssiegels der Qualitätsgemeinschaft Tai Chi Zentrum . Once again, they’ve proven to be false prophets and apostles. Elder Gerrit W. Gong (LDS Church) ... we witness unto God the Father that we are willing to take upon us the name of His Son and always remember Him … 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. Eine deutschsprachige Erstausstrahlung erfolgt seit 24. “Weeds,” she told him, “were plants growing where they weren’t wanted.”, His queerness, the opposite of his religious ethnicity, “was something I was born. Sister Gong said there are three characteristics that are quintessential Gerrit Gong. lindseypfister. your own Pins on Pinterest Elder Gong has spent his life in the service of the Church, serving as a … Cristina B. Franco. ‘I forgive you,’” he says. Elder Gong received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Asian and university studies from Brigham Young University in 1977. One day, during Gong’s freshman year at Brigham Young University, he tried to take his life. The appointment of the two men was indeed historic, but not in the way the Church has bragged about it. Summary: Gerrit Gong is 67 years old today because Gerrit's birthday is on 12/23/1953. The member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is California-born — but he has deep connections to this diverse, history-rich city located near the center of the Salt Lake Valley. Gong is hardly alone in such a feeling of being misplaced, of course, but his experience is unusual. https://bookofmormonresources.blogspot.com/2018/03/gerrit-walter-gong.html The title of his talk is Live Right Now. Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles speaks in a pre-recorded address that was broadcast during the Saturday afternoon session of the 190th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Oct. 3, 2020. All rights reserved. Gerrit W. Gong was born in Redwood City, California, USA, in 1953. MUSIC NOTES FROM GETTY IMAGES. Elder Gong has a Dutch first name, an American middle name (Walter after his father) and a Chinese last name. By Speaker. How can Gerrit Gong remain silent as a father of a gay son? They came so prepared to learn. Thoughts of not having that became unbearable, he says, and so he repressed them. “Two, he is interested in everything, which makes him a fascinating person to live with. “I have had a testimony of the Church and gospel since I was very young,” said Elder Gong. [40], Leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, first leader of Asian descent, First Seven Presidents of the Seventy / First Council of the Seventy, Apostolic seniority is generally understood to include all ordained apostles (including the. That our interactions would be nitpicked to brand us as avatars of ideologies,” Gong writes on a. The Exquisite Gift of the Son. Elder Gong spoke of the importance of being still and deepening our relationship with God. So kann die Betreuung der Auszubildenden weiter erhöht werden (Quelle Qigong Ausbilder). By Study and By Faith. jamey.christensen. Le 17 novembre 2019, frère Gong et trois officiers généraux ont répondu à des questions sur le programme de développement pour les enfants et les jeunes. He was named a member of the Presidency of the Seventy on October 6, 2015. Elder Gerrit W. Gong and his wife, Sister Susan Gong, raised their family in many areas of the world, including China, which helped unite the children.