4 things you didn't know about Lana 

#1. Lana Endured Religious Persecution In Russia

Lana Heading Down The Entrance Ramp

Lana left the United States at the age of 5 because her parents were missionaries. Their Christian faith called them to Eastern Europe to minister to the people of Russia. Russia; however, with its communist roots, was often unwelcoming to people of faith. Lana notes,

"As a little girl, I never felt I fit in because I was American in European culture and on top of it, I was Christian in an Atheist society. That was even more like, 'Woah!' I was the only person. It wasn't like the South where everyone goes to Church or people in America, when they get an award, they go, 'I want to thank my Lord & Savior. I just want to thank Jesus, or I want to thank God.' No, that's not how it is over there. It was communism and if you believed in God, and you went to the Orthodox Church, or the Lutheran Church, you were sent to Siberia, so it is an atheistic country."

Lana was frequently criticized for her belief in God,

"They would look at me and go, 'You believe in God? You're just scared of dying and that's why you created God. That's why you created heaven. It's because you're scared of dying. You're just a weak person."

Lana still kept her faith and despite becoming an outcast for it, went to church every Sunday along with her parents. Her father; however, would soon find himself in trouble with the Russian government.

Because he believed that all Christian denominations should get along and come together in prayer and service, Lana's dad was labelled a 'religious terrorist' by the Russian government. The family was then forced to leave Russia and were unable to return for two months.

Readers may listen to Lilian Garcia's interview with Lana in its entirety HERE.