Destiny? Woman Marries American Guy Who Donated A Christmas Box To Her 14 Years Ago

This story was 18 years in the making...

We may meet various people on our journey yet it’s no certainty that one in them will be our partner for the rest of our lives. Destiny has plans like what happened to 8-year-old Filipina girl named Joana who never believed that her ‘soul mate’ would be the boy who gave her a Christmas gift-filled shoebox in 2000.

According to some reports, Joana received the shoebox at a vacation bible school in Quezon City, a suburb of Manila. Included in the box was a small picture of a little boy in a cowboy shirt holding a lariat. The boy was a 7-year-old from Idaho named Tyrel Wolfe.

Joana wanted to know the boy who sent her the box, so she chose to use Facebook to track down Tyrel Wolfe saying,“I still wanted to thank the person who gave me the box that had meant so much to me.”

She found Tyrel on Facebook, began their Facebook friendship and an interchange of letters and pictures over 4 years. The more they talked, the more Tyrel and Joana found they had in common. They were both passionate about music, although different styles, and both sing and play at least one musical instrument. Joana had always dreamed of a quiet life in the country.

Despite the 15-hour time difference, they set aside time in the morning and again at night for daily Facebook chats. But if their relationship was to improve, they needed to see each other in person.

So Tyrel decided to meet Joana in person and he flew to Manila. “Once I saw his face, an amazing feeling came over me,” Joana said. “I was so happy I cried.” Tyrel stayed for 10 days and got to know Joana in her home environment. Prior to the trip, they had agreed not to officially date until Tyrel asked her father’s permission in person.

Midway through his visit he gathered up enough courage to ask the protecting dad and pastor. Joana’s father gave his approval without hesitation. “I wanted to spend every moment I could with Joana while I was there, because once I left I didn’t know what would happen next,” Tyrel said. “All I knew was Joana was the one.”

To make the long story short, they decided to get married and came up with the idea of gift-filled shoeboxes for donation during the wedding.

“My mom is the one who originally came up with the suggestion,” Tyrel said about the idea to ask invited guests to bring gift-filled shoeboxes for donation. “Operation Christmas Child is what brought Joana and me together, so we wanted to somehow make the project a part of our celebration.”

“And when we start having children, we want to involve them in packing boxes too,” said a smiling Tyrel as he held his wife’s hand. “I remember as a little boy, I was so excited to know the toys and other items I put in the box would bring joy to another child somewhere else in the world. “I just didn’t know the joy it would bring back to me one day.”