Baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 19 in Hong Kong, Elder Chi Hong “Sam” Wong brought a new testimony to BYU–Hawaii. His experience there forged a lifelong path of discipleship. Sustained as a General Authority Seventy in 2014, he has applied the same steady faith he learned in Laie to helping shepherd the Church throughout the Philippines.
Discovering the Gospel
Elder Chi Hong “Sam” Wong was born May 25, 1962, in Hong Kong, China. Raised in a close-knit family, Wong learned early the value of hard work and perseverance. After finishing secondary school, he took a job where he met Carol Lu, the daughter of pioneer Latter-day Saints in Hong Kong. She invited him first to a Church activity and then to Sunday services. Missionary lessons followed. “I was a bit scared at the beginning,” he admitted, “but once I started to know more, it was good.”
At age 19, on February 14, 1982, Elder Wong was baptized. The following year, on July 9, 1983, he and Carol married and soon moved to Laie so he could continue his education at BYU–Hawaii, where Sister Wong studied from 1975 to 1979. She graduated with a degree in social work before returning to Hong Kong. The newlyweds moved into TVA and settled into married student life. After arriving, they were sealed in the Laie, Hawaii, Temple on August 9, 1984. Their first child was born in Kahuku. Looking back, Elder Wong calls those years “a very special and very sacred time.”
Learning by Work and Worship
Elder Wong fondly remembers his life at BYU–Hawaii, especially working as a night custodian in the first semester. He cleaned the Aloha Center and McKay Building, wrestling with a stubborn floor buffer. “At first it was very difficult, like fighting with a sumo,” he joked, “Later I could dance with it effortlessly.” As he worked, he would mentally review his studies. A diligent student, he maintained a 3.9 GPA to keep his full scholarship for a period of time, yet he never studied on Sundays academically. The blessings, he says, proved greater than anything he might have gained by studying on the Sabbath. He also served as a leader chair of the Chinese Gospel Forum.
Lean Years, Lasting Lessons
Elder Wong also recalls the financial struggles he and his wife shared in BYU–Hawaii. They were hard years he wouldn’t trade for anything. Without a car, the couple once walked 45 minutes to Hauʻula for groceries and furnished their TVA home with old secondhand furniture. Quoting a Chinese proverb, he explains, “A thousand taels of gold cannot buy the experience of being poor when you are young.” He adds, “Being a poor student is hard in the moment, but later you are grateful for the blessings it brought.” Elder Wong completed his studies in three years and four months, graduating in December 1986 with a bachelor of science in accounting and an associate’s degree in computer science.
Following the Spirit Back to Hong Kong
After graduating, Elder Wong felt a clear prompting from the Spirit to return home to Hong Kong: “Your mission at BYU–Hawaii is complete; go home.” To students who hesitate about returning home, he offers this counsel: “Don’t ask, ‘What’s in it for me?’ Ask, ‘How can I bless my people?’ That shift changes everything.” Elder and Sister Wong returned to Hong Kong in 1986, spending the first months with their parents before settling as their family grew. They have four children—Wilford, Wesley, Webster, and Joy—and now have eight grandchildren. Three of their children and two daughters-in-law also attended BYU–Hawaii.
From Ledgers to Leadership
Elder Wong later returned to school, earning an MBA in 2008 from the Open University of Hong Kong.
He began his career as a senior accountant before rising to deputy managing director. In the Church, he has served as ward financial clerk, ward clerk, Sunday School president, Young Men president, bishop’s counselor, bishop, stake president’s counselor, stake president, and Area Seventy. After a decade of retirement, he was called as a General Authority.
Sustained to the Seventy: Twelve Years of Global Service
Elder Wong was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 5, 2014, during the Church’s 184th Annual General Conference. Since then, he and Sister Wong served for three years in the Asia Area in Hong Kong, then two years as mission leaders in the Canada Vancouver Mission, followed by five years in the North America Central Area. “As a convert at 19 who didn’t serve a full-time mission, my desire has always been to serve the Lord, hopefully to compensate in some ways” he says.
Elder Wong currently serves in the Philippines Area, which includes 138 stakes, 51 districts and 26 missions. This is the couple’s twelfth year of full-time service.
Built by BYU–Hawaii
Before attending BYU–Hawaii, Elder Wong studied the scriptures only in Chinese. Religion courses on campus helped him begin studying and teaching directly from the scriptures in English, a capability that now shapes his daily ministry. Elder Wong credits BYU–Hawaii for shaping him both academically and spiritually. His counsel to students is simple: cherish your time at BYU–Hawaii. “If you prepare yourself well, you can go anywhere and be successful,” he says. Find joy even when things are hard, and carry your light home to bless your family and community.