Christian Olympic Gymnast Shawn Johnson East and Husband Andrew East Expecting Baby No. 2
By Movieguide® Staff
Former gymnast Shawn Johnson East and her husband Andrew East are expecting another child!
The Olympic gold medalist, who is already mom to 14-month-old daughter Drew Hazel, announced the news on Instagram: “Here we go again.”
The couple is candid about their faith and how it has carried them through their experience with a miscarriage.
“If you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, if you’re trying to adopt, if you’re in the process of expanding your family or recently suffering from a loss, we are praying for you. All those beautiful babies out there, all those rainbow babies, all those babies in heaven,” Johnson East said in a Youtube video. “We love you guys.”
The couple posts often on their Youtube channel, where they first teased the news on Jan. 2. At the end of one video, they hinted at the second baby: “Despite everything, we found the silver lining…. 2021, we’re excited for ya! Happy New Year everyone.”
Johnson East and her husband revealed that they were hesitant to announce that they were trying for another baby after she had suffered a miscarriage in October 2017.
“[After a loss,] it is [scary],” Johnson East said during a podcast interview. “And I feel like it never gets easier, which is funny. It’s like, ‘Oh, once I have our kid, it’ll be fine and I won’t be worrying.’ But then you have a child and [it’s] anxiety all day, every day. [You always think] something’s gonna go wrong. It never gets easier but it’s always worth it, obviously.”
Johnson also shared how her Olympics run as a gymnast brought her closer to Christ.
Johnson was 16 at the time of her first Olympic appearance, and she recalled the pressure from fans and friends for her to bring home the gold medal. She got silver.
“I felt like since the world saw me as nothing else, then if I failed at being a gymnast, I failed at being a human being,” Johnson said in an “I Am Second” Youtube video. “Feeling like the world doesn’t accept you for who you are, kind of, it hurts your heart.”
Because Johnson East felt like she let the world down, she focussed solely on her training. Despite eventually winning a gold medal, Johnson said that her dedication to the sport was to appease the world and no one else.
However, the former gymnast recalls the moment that God called her to put her identity in Him and not the world.
“In that instant, I felt the entire world be lifted off my shoulders,” Johnson East said. “God is the answer to everything. Jesus sacrificed his life on the cross so that when I stood up there and I was given that gold medal, yes, it’s a monumental and amazing experience and wonderful thing. But it’s not the end-all be-all.”
She added: “Yes, I can work my whole life to become the CEO of a company, or to make a certain amount of money, or to win 12 more Olympic gold medals. But it’s not the purpose in life. He will always be my greatest reward and my proudest reward.”
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
