As we continue our journey of connecting…one person to another, building and rebuilding relationships - this week, we invite you to connect with the Hsu (pronounced “shee”) family!
Who is a part of your household?
Ellen, Al, Josiah, and Elijah (no pets). Josiah is a sophomore at Wheaton College this year, majoring in computer science. Elijah is a high school sophomore at Clare Woods Academy in Wheaton.
Where do you live? Where are you from?
We’ve lived in Downers Grove for the last two decades, and both of our children were born here. Ellen grew up in Wisconsin where she grew to love cheese and ice cream and learned to call water fountains “bubblers.” Al grew up in Minnesota where he played Duck, Duck, Gray Duck. We met at college in Minnesota.
How long have you been attending Church of the Savior?
We’ve been attending Church of the Savior for over 16 years. We started attending just a few months after the church was founded when Ellen was pregnant with Elijah. Josiah was 3 years old at the time, and we happened to visit on the first day that the children’s program started.
In your time at Savior, what have you enjoyed most?
It’s hard to say what we enjoy most because there are so, so many things we love about Savior! What we probably love most about Savior is the people and the sense of community. We’re particularly grateful for the multiple ways our family has been invited into Savior’s community that show how much God and the church love and care for every one of us. When Elijah was a baby, we needed people to watch him and Josiah while we led worship. What Ellen remembers about that time is how delighted people were to help and how loved we all felt. More specifically, she remembers Marilyn Stewart telling us not to worry that our kids were making a little noise during the service because we (the church) want the children to feel welcomed into our worship. It was such a different perspective than we’d felt while visiting other churches. We could go on and on, but we’ll stop there :-)
What is something folks at Savior might not know about you?
Ellen is in her second of two years in the Christos training program for spiritual directors. We both work at InterVarsity Press and love reading books, so feel free to ask us what we’re currently reading – just don’t assume that every book we read is published by IVP (Ellen reads a lot of novels). You can ask Al about all the things he collects (LEGO Architecture sets, commemorative stamp yearbooks, comic books, Starbucks mugs…#enneagramseven). We love theatre and have seen almost 200 musicals together over the past 27 years.
How do you enjoy connecting with others?
Ellen is an introvert and enjoys connecting with others in 1-on-1 settings. She especially loves going for walks. She also enjoys getting to know people over coffee, a meal, or dessert. Al is an extrovert and loves trying new restaurants, so if there’s an interesting place or different kind of cuisine you want to try, let him know!