Season of Sharing breaks language barrier through kindness

A family from Puerto Rico came to the United States not knowing where they were going to live, what they were going to sleep on, or how to speak English.

With support from Advisors Excel 'Season of Sharing', the Baez family received a warm welcome that broke the barriers of language.

"It was difficult and it is difficult to start from scratch, but it's not impossible," Simyra said.

Simyra Baez moved most of her family from Puerto Rico to Topeka shortly before Hurricane Maria hit.

Simyra escaped tragedy with her husband, their three sons, and daughter; but half of her heart was still on the island with her oldest daughter.

"I went days without knowing how my family was doing, I had no communication with my daughter who was there at the time so that was very difficult," Simyra said, "So many of them lost their roof, lost their house and so finding out everything that had happened to my family was very difficult."

On top of worrying about her loved ones, Simyra faced hardships at her new home. Her family made weekly trips to the laundromat and slept on air mattresses.

"I felt really bad and there were times when I would cry and I would ask them to forgive me because I brought them here where we didn't have anything, didn't have our family," Beaz said.

Traveling to what felt like a new country, starting from scratch, then losing everything you left behind to a hurricane is hard, but Simyra told her kids to have faith until angels arrive to make a difference.

Advisors Excel opened a door to a brighter future for the Baez family - gifting them a washer and dryer, dining table and chairs and 5 beds, including a bunk bed for the two younger boys.

Sarah Lucero, who is the boys' principal at Scott Dual Language Magnet School, says this gift couldn't have gone to a more deserving family.

"It's just beautiful to see a mother's faith and to see it be fulfilled," Lucero said.

"Just give it time we are going to be good," Simyra says, "God is going to supply all of our needs."

It was an act of kindness that left two women who are fluent in multiple languages speechless.

"It's beyond words can express," Lucero said with tears in her eyes, "We've just had Advisors Excel come in and give beyond what we can give to our students and it's just a deep sense of gratitude to know that they're going to have a better Christmas thanks to this company and their kind heart."

"Very thankful and asking the Lord to bless these angels so that they can help other families out that are in need," Simyra said.

The boys have already started giving back to the community.

Principal Lucero said, soon after their early Christmas, one of the boys rang bells for the salvation army with other students from Scott Magnet.