The best test that Tyrel could think of was simply asking Joana to verify the content of the items in the shoebox that was supposedly sent to her more than a decade ago. This was a simple test and would prove conclusively that she was, in fact, the actual recipient.
Tyrel wanted to know if he could trust this Filipina woman, and this was his way of doing that. While Joana could not recall most of the items that were in the shoebox, there was one item that later proved her honesty beyond a doubt. Can you guess what it was?
A Surprising Gift
Tyrel was curious and asked Joana how she knew him from Operation Christmas Child since the kids who volunteered there were all from the United States. Joana then explained that she was the recipient of one of the shoeboxes made by Tyrel more than a decade before. Sure enough, this blew Tyrel's mind.
At first, Tyrel was completely shocked at the idea that this Filipina woman would remember him after more than a decade. For him, this was just a fun activity at the time and didn’t mean very much. While Tyrel was pleasantly surprised by the idea, his family felt otherwise.
Family Concerns
Tyrel’s parents, being much older and wiser than the impressionable teenager, warned him that this might very well be a scam. There have been many online predators who connect with people and gain their trust, before deceiving and hurting them in various evil ways. He wouldn’t be the first to fall for such a scam.
Usually, the scammer would wait until their target is in complete trust with them, before asking them for money or important personal information and details. They would then use that information to steal his identity, or much worse. Tyrel’s parents implored their son to test Joana’s claim before proceeding with their exchanges.
Not Very Convincing
The answer didn't come right away, though. Tyrel began interrogating the girl, but unfortunately, it seemed that Joana didn’t have all the answers. Honestly, she did not remember almost anything about the shoebox’s contents, which put her entire motives in a big question mark. The teenager wasn’t going to let himself get scammed.
Just when Tyrel was about to give up and move on with his life, Joana recalled one specific item from the box which changed everything. It was a photograph. Little did Joana know that the photograph actually belonged to Tyrel when he was almost 10 years old. He asked her to describe it.
Young Tyrel
Joana’s description of what she remembered about the photograph in the shoebox made Tyrel both blush and smile. She told him that the photo contained a young and cute smiling cowboy, standing in front of a wooden background. This was the exact picture Tyrel put in the box many years before.
When Tyrel was still a young child, he never actually expected that his shoebox would really reach the other side of the world. All he knew was that the organization had asked him and his friends to pack a few shoeboxes full of stuff. He never gave it any real thought beyond that.