Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke during the Sunday afternoon session of October 2023 general conference. His message was on learning the gospel languages of warmth and reverence, service and sacrifice, and covenant belonging. The following is a summary of what he said.

Elder Gong’s talk summary

Primary children sing, “Love is spoken here.”

Three languages of gospel love are the language of warmth and reverence, the language of service and sacrifice, and the language of covenant belonging.

“Let us always speak with warm and reverent gratitude for God’s work and glory and the mercy, merits and grace of Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice.”

In gathering each week, Latter-day Saints can express their sacramental covenant commitment — and draw closer — to Jesus Christ and each other through Church callings, fellowship, sociality and service.

“The more compassionate, faithful, and selfless our service and sacrifice are in Him, the more we may begin to fathom Jesus Christ’s atoning compassion and grace for us.”

Jesus Christ offers a better way: relationships founded on divine covenant, stronger than the cords of death. “Covenant belonging with God and each other can heal and sanctify our most cherished relationships. …

“So, where and how does Jesus Christ speak to you in love? Where and how do you hear His love spoken here?

“May we each learn to speak and hear His love here, in our hearts and homes, and in our gospel callings, activities, ministering and service.”

Notable quotes

See the full text of Elder Gerrit W. Gong’s talk: ‘Love Is Spoken Here’

Who is Elder Gong?

Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

• Elder Gerrit W. Gong was sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on March 31, 2018, and had served as a General Authority Seventy since April 2010. 
• His mother met the missionaries when she was a teenager in Honolulu, Hawaii. His father joined the Church after attending Stanford University, where Elder Gong’s parents met and dated.
• The first time Elder Gong met his wife, Susan Lindsay, was at an evening devotional he volunteered to give at the Provo (Utah) Missionary Training Center to help the missionaries learn more about Taiwan. They briefly met, but Elder Gong said in that moment, he “had a feeling this was somebody I’d always know.”

What has Elder Gong done recently?

• During the April 2023 general conference, he spoke about ministering, saying inspired ministering can bless individuals and families for generations.
• In an April 2023 devotional, Elder Gong invites BYU students to write their own best story.
• More than 375 young single adults in Thailand attended the Bangkok temple open house and met with Elder and Sister Gong in a devotional. 
• Preparing individuals for baptism is preparing them to enter the kingdom of God, Elder Gong said at the 2023 Seminar for New Mission Leaders.

Read more of Elder Gong’s general conference addresses, or follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.