After Almost Two Decades, A Christmas Gift Lead To Everlasting Love Across The Globe
When Tyrel Wolfe participated in a charity Christmas gift drive, he had no idea it would lead him to the woman of his dream and fairy tale romance…
Little Joana Marchan
Operation Christmas Child
When Tyrel Wolfe sent his package off to Operation Christmas Child, he had no idea what would happen to it. It’s really no wonder he forgot all about it! The box made its way from the small, rural community of Midvale, Idaho, all the way to Quezon City in the Philippines. That’s right! There, it found its way into the hands of an eight-year-old girl named Joana Marchan.
At the time, the girl was living with her family in quite poor conditions. While the snacks, school supplies, tools, and more would undoubtedly help Marchan’s day-to-day life, she had no idea the massive impact it would soon have on her adult life!
Meet Tyrel Wolfe
A few years ago, Tyrel Wolfe, a young man from Idaho, received a message from a woman he didn’t know. Most of the time, Wolfe never responded to social media messages from strangers. However, the woman, named Joana, remained persistent, messaging the young man more than once. She said she wanted to tell him a story – and the story would turn Wolfe’s life upside down!
You see, the woman’s story started back to Wolfe’s childhood. While growing up, he had participated in a local church charity initiative. Of course, at the time, Wolfe had no idea the impact the charity operation would have on his future…
An Idyllic Childhood
No questions asked, Tyrel Wolfe loved his time growing up. You see, Wolfe had two loving parents, Denise and Ivan, and grew up in the beautiful small town of Midvale, Idaho (seen in the photo). The young man loved playing cowboy in the rural community, which is nestled in the rolling hills amidst the mountain ranges between Idaho and Washington state.
In addition to a strong commitment and connection to their community, the Wolfe family held their church life near and dear to their heart. As such, they participated in many church charity projects over the years. One of those projects was one named “Operation Christmas Child…”
Operation Christmas Child
When Wolfe was just seven-years-old, he and his mother participated in an initiative known as Operation Christmas Child. In case you don’t know, Operation Christmas Child, started back in 1993, sends present boxes to disadvantaged children worldwide. The boxes, wrapped up like Christmas presents, do contain not only small toys, but also school supplies, toiletries, and snacks.
Operation Christmas Child
Over the years, Operation Christmas Child has “delivered more than 188 million shoebox gifts to children in more than 170 countries and territories.” And one of those boxes was the one that Tyrel Wolfe sent. And he included something special inside of it…
A Little Cowboy
If you have never participated in Operation Christmas Child, the project asks that every participant put a photo of themselves into the box they pack. You see, the organization wanted to let disadvantaged children know that people all around the world cared about them. So, at seven-years-old, Wolfe decided that he would add his school photo to his box. He was particularly fond of the picture, as he looked like a cowboy in it!
After placing his photo in the box and sending it off, Wolfe promptly forgot about his package. However, the young girl from halfway around the world who received the parcel, would never forget about it…
Little Joana Marchan
When Tyrel Wolfe sent his package off to Operation Christmas Child, he had no idea what would happen to it. It’s really no wonder he forgot all about it! The box made its way from the small, rural community of Midvale, Idaho, all the way to Quezon City in the Philippines. That’s right! There, it found its way into the hands of an eight-year-old girl named Joana Marchan.
Operation Christmas Child
At the time, the girl was living with her family in quite poor conditions. While the snacks, school supplies, tools, and more would undoubtedly help Marchan’s day-to-day life, she had no idea the massive impact it would soon have on her adult life!
Opening The Box
When Joana Marchan received her Operation Christmas Child, she had just finished up her time at the Vacation Bible School in Quezon City. Incredibly, the box actually helped Marchan bring the religion that had become so important to her family!
According to Samaritan’s Purse, the non-profit that organizes Operation Christmas Child every year, “It was through the box that she had heard a presentation of the Gospel and accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior. Not long afterward, her father also received Christ and eventually followed the calling God put on his heart to become a pastor.” However, the box’s massive impact would not end there…
Holding On To The Photo
For reasons unknown to her at the time, Marchan decided to keep the photo of young Tyrel Wolfe, dressed in his cowboy outfit. To the eight-year-old girl, the little boy, just a year younger than her, had given her an incredible gift. He had even put his name, written in black Sharpie, on the back of the photo! He had also included his address, in case the child who received his present wanted a pen pal.
At eight, Marchan was a little too shy to write a letter to Wolfe. However, she kept the photo with her for years to come, hoping to one day thank Wolfe for his gift. In the end, Marchan would do much more than write a simple thank you note!
Almost Two Decades
For 15 years, Joana Marchan held onto the picture of little Wolfe. During times when it seemed like the whole world was against her, Marchan would look at the photo of the young cowboy, and it would remind her that there were good people out there.
Imgur
Almost two decades after she opened the Christmas present from Wolfe, Marchan finally decided to track him down. “I still wanted to thank the person who gave me the box that had meant so much to me,” Joana said in a recent interview. So, she started where any of us would: Facebook!
Heading to Facebook
Of course, when Marchan entered “Tyrel Wolfe” into Facebook, Tyrels from all over the world popped up. However, as she started to look through the names, she only found one Tyrel Wolfe from Idaho. While Marchan was not 100% confident this was the right Tyrel, she sent him a friend request anyway, trying her luck.
Inside Edition
A world away, in Idaho, Wolfe received the friend request. While he thought Marchan was incredibly beautiful, he actually rejected the friend request. That’s right! Determined, the young woman sent him another friend request. When he received the second friend request, Wolfe could hardly believe it. “One question, how do I know you?” he messaged Marchan. She replied, asking about the non-profit that runs Operation Christmas Child: “You know about the Samaritan’s Purse?” Wolfe could not believe the message…
Trying To Explain
When Marchan brought up Operation Christmas Child, Wolfe could hardly believe it. What she said seemed too good to be true: for nearly two decades, she had held onto a picture of a young cowboy. And that young cowboy was Wolfe! Now, the young woman wanted to know about the man who had sent her the Christmas present all those years ago. “I was curious as to what he was like now. Was he going to college like me?,” Marchan explained to People Magazine.
After reading the message, Wolfe took the message to heart. However, neither of his parents, Ivan or Denise, believed the young girl. So, to prove that she was telling the truth, Marchan sent an image for her holding Wolfe’s cowboy photo! Afterward, everyone believed her!
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