Christian heritage: It's difficult for me to know exactly when I became a Christian. I think I'm one of those prime examples of how God chooses us because in many ways, I've never known life without God. He's always been such a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember, especially because of my dad's godly example of reading the bible and praying every night before going to bed. But, if I had to pinpoint a specific time, there'd be two occasions (or three, depending on how you look at it) that I consciously made a decision to follow Jesus for the rest of my life.
When I was 9 or 10, I responded to an invitation to accept Christ during a Spring Gospel Missions camp after watching a film about Chuck Colson's conversion. I remember crying at the movie and wanting so much to let God have every part of me. However, because the invitation was private (we were asked to seek out the pastor if we made a decision that night), it was up to me to find the pastor, which I never did -- not because I didn't want to or because I was uncomfortable with it (I wasn't at all; Pastor Tony So was a good friend of mine), but I just never got around to doing it. But I knew my commitment was real -- it was an extension of all that I had been feeling all along.
The second occasion occurred when I was 11 -- I was in the 6th grade. It was December, and my sister Martha had just responded to a public altar call to accept Christ at a morning service at our church. When we got home, I asked her and Vicky what she had done and why. They explained to me that you had to make a deliberate decision to give your life to Christ if you wanted to become a Christian. I said I wanted to be a Christian, and if that's what I had to do, then I was going to do it. They prayed with me to accept Christ that night. It was a very intellectual decision; I just made up my mind to go through the motions (because they had told me it was necessary) to solidify what I had naturally known and felt all along.
My sisters also told me that it was important for me to publicly proclaim my decision to follow Christ. So the next Sunday, the first Sunday of 1982 during a joint service with the adults, I walked up to the front of the sanctuary to publicly accept Christ. Something marvelous happened then -- the Spirit of God just came over me like a wave and I began crying deeply, heavily. I didn't even know why I was crying; it baffled me, but I couldn't help myself. I wasn't sad; I was happy. But the sobs were from deep inside, and it took quite a bit of time before I was able to compose myself again.
Interestingly enough, Alice Wu (my best friend at the time) had wanted to publicly accept Christ that very day. We hadn't talked about it previously, but she felt like the Spirit of God was prompting her to respond to the altar call, too. Funny thing is, after she saw me go up, she decided she wouldn't. Everyone knew that we were best friends, and she didn't want others to think she was a copycat. So she waited for a couple more months and then went up. The exact same thing happened to her when she went up -- the uncontrollable crying, the joy. I guess that's just another unexplainable mystery of our God. Sigh.
Anyway, as you can see, my "decisions" to follow Christ were more for formality's sake than function. I honestly believe that long before I made a conscious decision to follow Christ, I already knew I was His child. Just like no one had to tell me that my parents were my parents, no one had to tell me that God was my Heavenly Father. I just knew.
I was baptized later on that year, in October, along with Alice. I can't remember the exact date, but my mind seems to think it was the 12th or the 16th. I should ask Alice if she remembers.
Spiritual gifts: Prophecy, Faith, Teaching, Leadership
Education:
The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Dept. of Health Policy, Division of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, M.H.S. (Masters of Health Science), 1994.
Occupation:
Policy analyst specializing in women's public health issues
(abortion, adoption, teen sex) for the Family Research Council
Hobbies and Activities:
Singing, Dancing, playing the piano, Volleyball, Hiking, Reading,
Journalling. I love being outdoors, enjoying God's creation, and
I love music -- it moves me like nothing else can
Places of residence:
Southern California (1970-1992)
-- South Pasadena (1974-1988)
-- UCLA, Westwood (Sept 1988-June 1992)
Baltimore, MD (August 1992-June 1994)
Arlington, VA (July 1994-present)
Family info:
--Father: Henry H. Hsu
--Mother: Eunice Y. Hsu
--Sister: Vicky S. Hsu
--Nephew: Zachariah John Kooiker
--Sister: Martha S. Hsu Van Driel
--Brother-in-law: Michael Van Driel
Favorite movies:
The Sound of Music
Chariots of Fire
Scarlet and the Black (a distant third when compared to the other
two, though)
(In general, my favorite movies are inspirational stories of
personal courage, honor, and integrity, and it just so happens
that most of these movies also have to do with faith in God which
drives their personal behavior.)
Favorite food: Hmmm, I like food in general. Chinese and
Japanese food, especially.
Favorite ice cream: Black Cherry (you knew that already, though)
=)
Most used phrase in my vocabulary (at least what all my friends
tell me I say all the time):
"God is so good!"
This is quite an improvement from high school when my most used
phrase/word was "Dude!" =)