Vivian Pellas: Turning tears into smiles

Book excerpt: On October 21, 1989, airline TAN SAHSA's Boeing 7Z7-200, registered as N88705, was a passenger flight en route from San José, Costa Rica, to Miami, with stops in the cities of Managua, Nicaragua, and Tegucigalpa, Honduras. At 7:53 in the morning the plane crashed into Cerro de Hula as it approached the Toncontín International Airport in Tegucigalpa. 135 people died. Of the 146 passengers on Flight 414, only 11 people survived . . . Vivian Pellas is not a fictional character, although she could well be one. Her story is that of a life "forged through fire". She faced the hardest tests and, with her immense faith, not only defeated death, but now saves lives and alleviates the suffering of countless children. Her experiences and her work inspire women and men from different parts of the globe. Today she wants to touch the hearts of others to make this a better world,where children's tears are turned into wonderful smiles of hope.