Even when Tyrel and Joana were still just at the beginning of their Facebook relationship, it was already clear to the teenager that he was going to meet her one day. This motivated him to work harder, and save up his money, something he was not used to doing before.
Now that he was free from his school duties, Tyrel messaged Joana and asked his new friend if he could travel abroad to meet her in person. The Filipina girl was extremely excited and told him to come as soon as he wished. Just days later, he had already bought the tickets.
Questioning Her Intentions
Now that Tyrel knew that he could at least trust Joana’s words, there was still the looming question of the girls' intentions. It wasn’t clear to Tyrel why the young woman waited more than a decade to thank him for a gift. Her motives were still unclear, and only time would tell.
Joanna explained that she was very moved by his gesture all those years ago, and wanted to get to know who guy who had sent her that gift back then. Tyrel was quite pleased with her honesty and continued replying to her messages, even after they had said everything they had to say about that old shoebox.
Much in Common
Tyrel and Joanna continued chatting online on a semi-regular basis and eventually found themselves talking almost daily. To their great surprise, the two had a lot more in common than they initially thought. For example, despite being born and raised on opposite sides of the world, they both loved Christian music.
Eventually, they became good friends and would talk daily about their lives, dreams, and challenges. The relationship lasted for almost two years, which completely flew by for them. By now, the teenager was already a high-school graduate. He saw that this was the perfect opportunity to take their relationship one step further.
Daydreaming About the Trip
It's safe to say that traveling from the U.S. to Asia is quite expensive. It took Tyrel months to save up the money for the trip, and he decided to buy a one-way ticket, just to keep his options open. When the day of his flight finally arrived, he was more than excited.
Tyler was due to arrive in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. This was the first time he ever traveled alone, which obviously put him in a very uncomfortable position. His mind raced with many questions and concerns, but the teenager was bravely driven to see this journey through.
The Best Reception
After a 14-hour flight from Idaho to the Philippines, Tyrel finally got his chance to meet Joana. He was introduced to her family, who greeted him with love and warmth. They knew he was the one who sent their daughter the shoebox, and they were very excited to meet him after all this time.
Joana and Tyrel also got along quite well and ended up bonding instantly. In fact, the two got along so well together that they spent many long days, which turned into weeks together. So far, the teenager was more than happy he had bought a one-way ticket.