Elder Gerrit W. Gong

Elder Gerrit W. Gong Quorum of the 12 Apostles

Some years ago, a priest in Central America told me he was studying Latter-day Saint “baptism for deceased persons.” “It does seem just,” the priest said, “that God would offer every person opportunity to receive baptism, no matter when or where they lived, except little children, who ‘are alive in Christ.’ The Apostle Paul,” the priest noted, “speaks of the dead awaiting baptism and resurrection.” Vicarious temple ordinances promise all nations, kindreds, and tongues that no one need “remain a slave of death, of hell, or of the grave.”

Elder Gerrit W. Gong  |  "All Nations, Kindreds, and Tongues"

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Elder Gerrit W. Gong Quorum of the 12 Apostles

Let us make peace with the past year. Let go of the emotional angst and noise, the frictions and annoyances that clutter our lives. May we grant each other our new possibilities instead of fixating on our past limitations. Let’s give the new Scrooge in each of us a chance to change.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong  |  Christ, Our Savior, Is Born

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Elder Gerrit W. Gong Quorum of the 12 Apostles

The sacred events between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday are the story of hosanna and hallelujah. Hosanna is our plea for God to save. Hallelujah expresses our praise to the Lord for the hope of salvation and exaltation. In hosanna and hallelujah we recognize the living Jesus Christ as the heart of Easter and latter-day restoration.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong  |  Hosanna and Hallelujah—The Living Jesus Christ: The Heart of Restoration and Easter

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Elder Gerrit W. Gong Quorum of the 12 Apostles

The age-old paradox is still true. 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.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong  |  Covenant Belonging

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Elder Gerrit W. Gong Quorum of the 12 Apostles

Along life’s path, we may lose faith in God, but He never loses faith in us. As it were, His porch light is always on. He invites us to come or return to the covenants that mark His path. He waits ready to embrace us, even when we are “yet a great way off.”

Elder Gerrit W. Gong  |  Covenant Belonging

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Elder Gerrit W. Gong Quorum of the 12 Apostles

Christmas is a time of music, smells and tastes, anticipation and generosity. A time of gathering, whether we live near or far. Often Christmas becomes Christmas when we quietly bring Christmas joy to others.

Elder Gerrit W. Gong  |  Christ, Our Savior, Is Born

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