Rio: Viviane

Viviane is our missionary friend’s 25-year-old housekeeper. she and her younger sister were raised by their single mother. But when Viviane was 15-years-old, her mother died leaving Viviane to support herself and her 10-year-old sister alone.

Not long later, Viviane’s boyfriend got her pregnant …and disappeared. So, as a 15-year-old with a younger sister and a baby daughter to care for, she was desperate for money. Like many other girls in Rio who find themselves in dire straights, Viviane learned she could use her body to make money (Prostitution is legal in Rio.)

But God hadn’t let go of Viviane’s life. He sent her aunt who shared Jesus with her. Viviane got saved, and started changing her life.

That’s when God led her to our missionary friend, who gave her a job in his home and found a new apartment for her to live in. Now Viviane’s life is completely different, and her daughter, who is 10-years-old now and lives with her aunt, can visit on occasion.

I think what shocked me most about Viviane was how much her face doesn’t match her story. She is young and has a sweet, delicate spirit about her. Her eyes welled with tears as she told her story to us.

But she smiles easily, and praises God as she works at her new job. Jesus has completely changed her life.