07 Feb Episode 186 | Freedom In Christ
At 15 years old Romanian gymnast Oana Balasa defected to the US after being traumatized by her years of rigid training and separation from her family. She shared her courageous story of faith and how she came to understand that Jesus was the One who had always been by her side. More Thoughts from Oana Balasa
Podcast Guests
Oana Balsa
Oana Balsa was born in Bucharest, Romania during the communist regime and received professional communist gymnastics training seven days per week for seven years. At the age of 15, in 1987, she defected to the U.S. She was assigned a guardian, a Catholic priest, and with his help, learned English and graduated 1st in her high school class.
In 1995 Oana completed the B.S. in Physical Therapy degree from Russell Sage College and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Des Moines University in 2012. In 2013, she opened her own physical therapy practice, Fitness and Rehabilitation, in Fairfax. Her goal in her practice is to treat people with the love and care that God so generously lavished on her. To better address her patients’ physical needs, she also completed the Corrective Exercise Specialist certifications in 2011. And to provide help for the soul of each individual, pursued and completed the Christian Life Coaching certification in 2020. Oana and her husband have two children.
There are two verses that are dear to Oana’s heart:
Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
And Isaiah 2:17 … And the LORD alone will be exalted in that day…