11 Years After Boy Sends Shoebox Gift, He Receives A Life Changing Message

11 years after Boy-sen's shoebox gift, he receives a life-changing message. Sometimes it's the smallest things in life that can have the biggest impact on our futures. Take Tyrell Wolf and Joanna Marshan, for example. They were two people from opposite sides of the world, brought together by a very simple act of kindness. Years went by with either one of them Then, because of the modern conveniences of social media, their lives were brought together in the most unexpected and heartwarming way. And it was all due to that one gesture, years earlier. An extraordinary chain of events then unfolded, leading to one of the most unforgettable stories of connection in recent times. It was just a normal day for 18-year-old Tyrell Wolf, and he was going about his daily routine when he received an odd friend request on Facebook. For anyone who uses the social media site, you know that this happens to everyone once in a while. More often than not, it stirs wariness about some scams and spam. So, keeping that in mind, Tyrell decided that he would just delete the random request from the stranger and move on with his life. He did not put much thought into it at the time, but little did he know that the same person would eventually come back to play a major role in his life. The seemingly random woman who sent the request was named Joanna Marchan, a resident of the Philippines. Tyrell had neither been to the Philippines in his life, nor did he recognize the name Joanna Marchan. But there was something else that also caught Tyrell's attention. After reviewing Joanna's Facebook profile, he noticed something odd. From the looks of it, Joanna had never been to the United States, and much less to Tyrell's small town of Idaho. Even though random messages on social media networks aren't uncommon, something stuck with Tyrell. He was left scratching his head, wondering just what in the world she could have wanted. Soon, though, it would all fall into place in a way he couldn't have imagined. Tyrell tried to put the odd occurrence out of his head, figuring that she either had the wrong person or she was indeed some kind of bought internet scammer. He went about living his life normally in his small country town. He hadn't replied to the message, but some part of him thought that maybe he should have. But for some reason, he just couldn't get the request out of his mind. It stayed with him for quite some time. Then he eventually forgot it had happened at all. But just when everything was going back to normal, something strange happened again. It was like deja vu. Tyrell received another peculiar request on Facebook. With the initial strange request completely out of Tyrell's mind, two years had in fact passed until Tyrell again found himself facing an odd occurrence on Facebook. But this incident would ultimately have a very different outcome than the first. Tyrell received another request from Joanna. This time, it further sparked Tyrell's curiosity. Just why would this woman keep reaching out to him? Why was she so persistent, sending another message after all of these years yet again? Tyrell went through this woman's Facebook profile trying to find some type of connection between the woman known as Joanna and himself. Still though, he found nothing. However, his curiosity was now piqued and he had to know the truth. With no friends in common and never having been to each other's respective countries, Tyrell was coming up blank about how he could possibly know this mystery woman who kept sending him friend requests on Facebook. There was no way that the two had ever met in person. Tyrell Wolfe was so intrigued by this mysterious Filipina woman that he couldn't help himself from doing something that everybody had warned him against. So one fateful day, he took the plunge and decided that he was going to do something to try to get to the bottom of the story. After lots of thinking and consulting with friends and family, Tyrell decided that he was indeed going to reach out to this mysterious Joanna woman and finally find out the full story from her. He wanted to get her off his mind once and for all. So one day he mustered all the courage he could and messaged her back. After a great deal of thinking about what he would write, Tyrell decided that he was going to keep his message simple and to the point. Taking the short and sweet route, he bluntly wrote, How do you know me? But the message that he received back was far from what he expected. And when he saw the message and what it contained, it raised even more questions than answers. Instead of simply answering his short question, Joanna sent him another question, one that would stump Tyrell and make him search deep into his past. Joanna asked Tyrell if he knew of something called Samaritan's Purse. Tyrell was sure that this was an organization of some sort, but he couldn't just place when and where he had heard of it. Still, the name did sound somewhat familiar to him. Then it suddenly came rushing back to him. Tyrell recalled a time far back in his past when he was just a young boy of seven years old. He remembered that he had been a part of a program called Operation Christmas Child, an organization created by none other than the non-profit called Samaritan's Purse. Every year the organization would pack shoeboxes full of gifts for less fortunate children around the world for Christmas. The boxes included things like small toys, toiletries, and even school supplies. Yet even though Tyrell knew what Joanna was talking about, he still didn't understand why she would be contacting him about a program he had participated in as a child. The next message that Tyrell received from Joanna would answer all of those questions, and it was a message that would rock Tyrell to his core. The message simply stated that she, Joanna, had been the recipient of his Christmas shoebox gift all those years ago. Tyrell was shocked. He couldn't believe that the recipient of his shoebox had actually remembered his name for so many years and had decided to reach out to him on Facebook now. But while Tyrell was pleasantly surprised, other people, people very close to him, were concerned and not at all happy with what was going on. Those who were most worried and concerned for Tyrell were undoubtedly his parents. They feared that Joanna, if that was her real name, was only out for one thing, to prey on an innocent young Tyrell. They were afraid that Joanna was out to deceive Tyrell by gaining his trust online. Then, once his trust was gained, they figured that she would surely ask for money or for something much worse. After much thought, they decided there was only one way to make sure that Joanna was telling the truth, to test her. And that is exactly what Tyrell did. He had to make sure that she was authentic and not an internet scammer. The only test that Tyrell could think of to ensure that this woman did indeed receive his giftbox so many years ago was to ask her to verify the contents of the present. Would she be able to tell him what he included in the shoebox so many years ago? The test would surely tell whether she was making the whole thing up or if she was telling the truth. But unfortunately, Joanna didn't remember everything that was in the shoebox. She did, however, remember one very important detail, and that vital indicator would be a dead giveaway. While Joanna didn't remember everything that was in the shoebox, she did remember some of the items. All of the items that she remembered were correct, but that still wasn't enough to convince Tyrell that she was telling the truth about receiving the gift he had sent to an unknown recipient years ago. That was until she remembered one specific item that was inside the box, a photograph. Tyrell recalled that he had placed a picture of himself in the giftbox, but then again many people who had sent the same kind of presents also did that, so he asked her to describe the photo in as much detail as possible. Joanna's response simply baffled Tyrell. In the reply message, she wrote that she had received a photo of a cute cowboy with a wooden background. Tyrell knew this picture well and knew that it was the exact photo that he had placed inside the shoebox many years ago. Unbelievably, the shoebox had made its way to the other side of the world, to a little girl in the Philippines. Not only did she receive the box, but she also kept the picture and the name of the person who sent her the gift that one fateful Christmas. Tyrell knew 100% that she was telling the truth about the whole thing, but soon, the seemingly innocent Facebook connection would catapult to a whole other level. As nice as the whole situation was, there still remained one question. Did she hold on to those things for so long, just in order to say thank you to the sender many years ago? Or did she have other intentions? Only time would tell. Joanna did indeed thank Tyrell for the nice Christmas gift, and for most people, that would be that, and then they would go on with their daily lives. But that wasn't Joanna's intention. She wanted to get to know this mystery man from the other side of the world. Fortunately for them, their story was only getting started. As time went by, the unlikely duo continued talking online. It even got to the point that they began speaking on a daily basis. They even found out that they had a lot in common with each other. For example, they found out that they both had a love of Christian music. The two continued to talk online, and just like that, more than a year and a half had passed. The two felt like they knew each other very well. By that time, Tyrell had graduated from high school and was planning his next steps for his future. And he had something very big planned. From early on in his correspondence with Joanna, Tyrell had started to save up money. He knew that one day the two of them were going to meet. And after he graduated from high school, he was determined to make that plan a reality. So, one day he sent her a message asking if he could come to the Philippines to visit. Joanna was ecstatic. Of course she wanted Tyrell to come visit her. She wanted to get to know Tyrell in person and wanted her family to meet him as well. Tyrell wasn't surprised by her answer, but still, it made him incredibly happy to hear that she wanted him to visit. Flying halfway around the world is no small expense, so Tyrell had to save a lot of money and put in countless hard hours working in order to save up for a flight to the Philippines, a journey that he believed would be the trip of a lifetime. So, when he had saved up enough money, he went ahead and bought a ticket to Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Tyrell Wolf had never traveled alone and he was very nervous. How would the flight be? Would it be like a foreign country? What would it be like finally meeting Joanna? These were all likely questions racing through his mind. The time finally came and Tyrell boarded a plane to the Philippines. It usually takes at least 14 hours to get from Idaho to the Philippines, but for Tyrell, it was more than worth it. When he finally landed, Joanna was waiting there to greet him into her country. Joanna and her family all welcomed Tyrell into their home with open arms and kind gestures. It seemed like Joanna's family was also Tyrell's family by the way they treated him. Also, Joanna and Tyrell got along like old rekindled friends. The two connected immediately. There was such a strong connection between the two that something incredible happened. As the days passed by and turned into weeks, something unexpected happened and it happened without even a second thought. As the time passed, Joanna and Tyrell enjoyed each other's company more and more. Tyrell's trip had turned out to be a very long trip indeed. Weeks passed by and neither of them wanted Tyrell to go back home. So, he stayed in the Philippines at least for as long as he could. Soon, a month had passed by and Tyrell was still in the Philippines with Joanna. Neither could believe just how much time had went by so quickly. Although neither wanted Tyrell to leave, the time for him to return home was growing closer. And so had Joanna and Tyrell. At that point, they were far closer than just friends. A more appropriate term to describe Joanna and Tyrell's relationship would probably be lovers, not just friends. But sadly, the time came for Tyrell to say goodbye. His trip had already been extended enough. Now, it was time to go home and continue with his life. The two promised each other that it would certainly not be the last time they met. Separation from one another was very difficult. Neither Joanna nor Tyrell knew what they were going to do about the separation. It seemed like it would be just too difficult to maintain their relationship. Yet, neither of them expected what was about to happen next. From the second that Tyrell returned to his small town in Idaho, he started saving up money again. After the whirlwind of his first trip, he was determined to again visit his dear Joanna in the Philippines. And pretty soon, he made it happen. Tyrell's second trip to visit Joanna was even better than the first. Their relationship deepened even further, and soon enough, the two were falling in love with each other. But again, before long, it came time for Tyrell to head back home. The separation was just too much for him to handle, but he had a plan. One that would change both of their lives forever. By Tyrell's third trip to the Philippines, he had learned enough Tagalog, the native language of the Philippines, to speak with Joanna's father privately about his future with his daughter. In what seemed like an abrupt and out of the blue request, Tyrell asked for Joanna's hand in marriage. Joanna's father graciously accepted Tyrell's request to marry his daughter, but not all of her family was as pleased with the idea as Joanna's father was. There was one other person who played a very big role in Joanna's life, whose say mattered a great deal. Depending on that person's decision, the entirety of their relationship was in jeopardy. The person who was the most hesitant about Tyrell and Joanna marrying was Joanna's own mother. For her, it felt like everything was moving just a bit too quickly. She wanted the couple to slow things down and really get to know each other much better before jumping into marriage. Tyrell understood and respected her opinion. He suspected that she felt the way she did because he was a foreigner and Joanna's family didn't feel like they knew his intentions well enough to agree to a marriage just yet. So Tyrell did something that none of them expected. He decided to bring in reinforcements. In light of their whirlwind romance, Tyrell felt it would help the situation some if Joanna's family were able to meet someone from his family to help clear the air. So Tyrell convinced his father that it would be a good idea for him to come to the Philippines and meet the family of the woman he loved. Tyrell's father eventually agreed to the request, understanding that his son was very intent on marrying Joanna and that he wanted to do it right. He wasn't going to marry Joanna without her mother's approval. So Tyrell's father also headed over to Southeast Asian nation. After meeting with Tyrell's father, Joanna's agreed to give her blessing for Tyrell and Joanna to marry. The couple was thrilled. It was like a dream come true for both of them. The wedding plans moved quickly and the two ended up getting married in October of 2014 in a simple wedding at Tyrell's parents' ranch. They married just five short months after Tyrell proposed. Joanna wore a wedding gown that she purchased from a thrift store for just $5 and Tyrell wore a traditional Filipino garment called a barong. It was the perfect country wedding but what made it especially unique was what the happy couple asked from the guests in lieu of wedding gifts. Just as Tyrell and Joanna didn't have a conventional love story, neither did they want a typical wedding. They didn't want anything too extravagant nor did they want typical wedding gifts. They felt blessed by the way that they were eventually brought together and felt that it was only appropriate for them to pay it forward and give others a chance to connect in the same way. And more than that, the guests would be giving to charity and the needy. The happy couple asked their guests to bring none other than shoeboxes. Not just any typical shoebox, they were asking for something very special and very personal in light of their wedding. It was the gift that would keep on giving. Tyrell and Joanna asked their wedding guests to bring shoeboxes full of small gifts to be donated to Operation Christmas Child, the same organization that eventually brought Tyrell and Joanna together. The small but thoughtful gift had initially brought the two young kids together and led them all the way to the altar. The couple even spent their honeymoon taking all of the shoeboxes from Idaho to North Carolina. They drove the entire way just to deliver the boxes to Operation Christmas Child in person. But they had made one additional special request of their guests. They were also asked to include, in addition to the gift boxes, one very special item. Each of the wedding guests were asked to place a very special note in their Christmas gift shoebox. On this note was a story of how Tyrell and Joanna met, eventually fell in love and ended up marrying each other. But they didn't put in the note for the reason you might think. Most would assume that they included the note to give underprivileged children a hopeful fantasy to aspire to, just like that of Tyrell and Joanna. But they actually put the notes in the shoeboxes in order to teach others what kind of good things can come out of helping others in need. Even after their wedding, the couple continued in their tradition of giving shoeboxes every year to Operation Christmas Child. After their wedding, Joanna decided to move halfway across the world to the United States with Tyrell. Joanna, who was used to living in a bustling urban city, now had to get used to small-town country life. Since Tyrell was often required to travel for work, Joanna has seen much of the United States. For her, adjusting to the quiet country life wasn't easy, but with the help of her loving husband, she eventually grew to love it. Still, Tyrell and Joanna's amazing love story didn't end there, as there was still another miraculous result of their coincidental connection. Just three short years after getting married, the happy couple was expecting a new family member. The now-married Joanna and Tyrell welcomed a baby boy to the family, named Harlan June Wolfe. Tyrell and Joanna have expressed their gratitude for every day that they've had together, and their pride in knowing that their story has spread around the world and inspired others to give to charity. Four years after their wedding, the couple are still living out their happy lives in rural Idaho, traveling frequently. They will never forget how they met and the amazing story that followed, and to think it was all because of a shoebox and a photograph. It seems like their story really struck a chord with the public, too. There is nothing more heartwarming than a love story, but a Christmas one is always so much more special. Tyrell and Joanna's story and a new wedding gift shoebox initiative not only inspired those close to them, their story also made local and international news. Christmas will always be a special time for the couple because the festival serves as a constant reminder of how lucky they are to have found one another. Comments poured in on Joanna's social media accounts praising the story for how inspiring their love is, and like it straight out of a fairy tale. Many couldn't believe how one simple good deed by an Idaho boy could make so many waves in the world years later. Every wedding anniversary is a reason for Tyrell and Joanna Wolfe to celebrate their love and publicly declare how much they love one another to inspire others. No amount of distance could keep these lovebirds apart, and now that they live together and have built a family together, it shows how perseverance and love conquers all. Now that baby Harlan June is part of their world, he gets special mention on Joanna's social media pages on a regular basis to keep people up to date with what her little family is up to. He just gets cuter and cuter by the day, and you'll soon see. According to Joanna Wolfe, her baby Harlan June gives her a reason to smile every single morning. Joanna shares images of her son and laments how he is growing up fast, saying, yes, I understand now when they say they grow up so fast. He's a newborn for a couple of minutes. Joanna went on to joke, declaring, if you need me, I'll be soaking up all the baby cuddles I can get. To celebrate her journey of motherhood, Joanna loves to track every moment of Harlan June's development on Instagram and Facebook. Not a moment of joy is missed, and it's such a joy to watch. Tyrell and Joanna might live in Idaho, but they love visiting the Philippines for family trips as often as possible. This picture was taken during a family trip in the Dingalan region of Joanna's birth country with her family. These are the moments Joanna loves to cherish, and one way they do that is to post snaps of their trip on Instagram for all of her followers to see. This was taken on their way to It really looked like the whole family had a blast with those smiles on their faces, including little Harlan June. Joanna often proclaims that her family is the greatest gift of her life, and even just a simple moment like cuddling up together makes every day brighter. It amazes her followers every day how one little shoebox resulted in this beautiful and happy family. The smiles on their faces say it all. Joanna Wolf's posts just keep getting more and more exciting with time. You can view them here and find out more about them through the link in her bio. We are truly inspired by this remarkable Christmas love story, and we wish Tyrell and Joanna a long and happy life together.