It all began with a shoe box from Samaritan’s Purse. Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian organization that assists in the provision of relief to less fortunate people and the meeting of their basic needs.

One of their programs involves allowing children from the United States to fill shoeboxes with gifts that will be shipped to less fortunate nations for the holidays. One of these boxes ended up in the Philippines, where it was delivered to a little girl called Joana Marchan.

It was the year 2000 at the time. Tyrel Wolfe, a little boy from Idaho, was responsible for filling the box. The little Joana was overjoyed and cherished the box as a result of this.

The package included a photograph of Tyrel at the time, with his name and address on it. What these two didn’t realize was that this shoebox would eventually lead them to a wonderfully crafted love story.

Joana attempted to communicate with Tyrel by mailing him a letter, but the message did not reach him. Snail mail was always a problem, and by sending a letter across such a long distance, it is likely to have been lost along the way.
However, because to technological advancements, they were able to find one another.

Joana went on Facebook in search of Tyrel. She added him as a friend, but he didn’t accept the friend request for many months.

Tyrel was curious as to how this stranger from the Philippines had come to know him in the first place. Tyrel understood precisely what Joana was talking about when she questioned him about the Samaritan Purse box.

Since then, the two have communicated through text messages as if they were old friends.
Despite the seeming distance between them, their relationship pushed them closer together. Tyrel made the decision to visit Joana.

In June 2013, Tyrel booked a trip to see Joana for the first time after saving up some money and guts. From the minute they laid eyes on each other at the airport, they were overcome with immense happiness.
Tyrel spent 10 days at Joana’s hometown, where he got to know her relatives.

For him, the few days they spent together were enough to prove that Joana was the one for him. From there, their friendship blossomed as he asked of her father about the possibility of dating his daughter.

Tyrel returned to his house, unsure of what was about to take place. When he returned to Joana after that, he remained for another month, this time during Christmas. Besides that, he hoped to propose to Joana.  As a result, Tyrel was given his father’s blessing after speaking in Joana’s native tongue.

After they returned from the Philippines, where they had celebrated their engagement, they spent months getting Joana’s fiancé visa before returning to Idaho. Joana and Tyrel tied the knot there, in Idaho.
Tyrel’s parents’ 400-acre farm served as the setting for their wedding in October, during which Joana wore a modest but lovely outfit.

Tyrel was dressed in a barong, a traditional Filipino garment made of pine fibers, which he wore with pride.
They are now enjoying the peace and quiet of the country life with their son.

Find out more about their heartwarming love story by watching the video below!

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