Jesus tells the parable of "The Good Samaritan" in Luke: a man was attacked by robbers who stripped him of his clothes and left him for dead by the side of the road. A Levite passed by and did nothing. A priest passed by and did nothing. Then, a Samaritan passed by and nursed the man's wounds and gave him bandages. The Good Samaritan took the injured man to an innkeeper where he paid the innkeeper to let the poor man stay.
The phrase "Good Samaritan" is used in modern times as a reference to anyone who performs a selfless act of service to help out the less fortunate.
Tyrel Wolfe was a modern Good Samaritan back in 2000 when he volunteered time and some of his own possessions to donate a gift-box for Operation Christmas Child, a project run by Samaritan's Purse that delivers gifts to less fortunate children in the Philippines.
The package was delivered to a young girl named Joana who was so moved by his gift, she never forgot the photo of the little boy in the cowboy hat and the kind gift he sent her. The package inspired Joana to convert to Christianity and her father even became a pastor.
But that's not all.
Joana went out to find the kind boy, and 14 years later… she married the man who changed her life!
Scroll down for more information on their story and please SHARE this inspirational story with someone else who believes.
Tyrel and Joana were brought together by a random act of kindness performed when Tyrel was just 7-years-old.
It wasn't just the toys that made Joana so happy. Tyrel also introduced her to the Gospel and changed her life forever. She could never forget the name or the photo of the little boy who sent her the box.
Around 2011, Joana found Tyrel on Facebook and sent him a message to thank him for the gift. Tyrel thought it was "just some random girl from the Philippines" but he agreed to get keep talking to her and they spent the next few months corresponding… and falling in love!
They both sang and played music. Joana longed for a life in the country. They grew closer and closer through their correspondence, but Tyrel didn't want to date Joana until he had her father's permission. He saved his money and traveled for the first time in his life all the way to Asia!
Joana says that when she saw him in the airport, she burst into tears she was so happy. After 10 days together, Tyrel knew she was the one and he didn't want to leave.
He saved every dollar he had so he could return to visit the love of his life. With all the money he could save, he returned to the Philippines to ask for her Father's permission to marry his daughter.
The couple wed on Tyrel's 400 acre farm. He wore a barong, the traditional embroidered shirt worn by Filipino grooms while the bride wore cowboy boots!
The happy couple is looking forward to spending their first Christmas together as a married couple and intend to spend this season volunteering for the less fortunate.
They've already donated presents for Operation Christmas Child to help make another Filipino child feel loved and cared for this holiday season.
Tyrel and Joana have so much to be thankful for this Christmas season, primarily their shared faith and each other.
This happy couple proves that doing good deeds is not only a gift to others, but it's a gift to ourselves when we do them.
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