Facebook isn't all bad.

On March 3rd I entered in to a contest on Facebook that a local car dealership was holding for an Ipad 2. The challenge was to get the most likes in order to win. I set out to do this thinking it was a long shot, but by golly was I going to try. I have been looking in to getting one for Isaiah for months, but the funds have never been there in order for us to get him this awesome tool. After a few days in the contest I was leading by a pretty good amount, I was feeling optimistic, but still nervous. It became apparent though, that there was someone else who was just as determined to make this Ipad their own. The battle had begun. Friends, family, and random strangers had been recruited to be a part of this epic challenge. It got down to the last night, where we were going back and forth with the lead, when out of no where, another person got several hundred likes and took the lead. At this point we each had over 600 votes, and were still determined to fight to the very end. Family and friends plead along with us on their walls, through email, and even phone calls, for people to take the few seconds to help us win something amazing. In the end, we were beat by the woman who swooped in at the end with 750 likes! We were both sad, but so grateful for everyone who rallied together to try to make this happen for us. It was so wonderful to see that so many people cared enough to take the time to vote/share in order to get us closer to that goal. 


Fast forward to later on that day, I get a message on Facebook from the uncle of the woman I had been competing against all week. He and several friends and family had made an event to raise money for an Ipad for his niece. He told me they had decided that any extra that was raised would go towards and Ipad for Isaiah!! I was floored! I couldn't believe the generosity of these people that I had never even met. It truly was humbling. 


I invited any friends and family that I thought might be interested in helping out with the donations. In as little as two days, all of the money was raised to get Isaiah and the other contestant each their own Ipad 2! In the end there were about 25 contributors of over $1,000. 


I can't even begin to express what this means to me. Never did I think that I would get so many votes or that so many people cared enough to gather votes for us. When we didn't win, I was truly disappointed. Trying to get those votes had become a full time job. I was stressed, checking the results, and staying up late, trying desperately to make this happen for Isaiah. I knew that we would eventually find a way to get Isaiah an Ipad, but NEVER did I think that God would use this as an opportunity to show how good His people are. I understand now that God had a big plan in mind when I entered in to that contest. I didn't think that it would be this wonderful though. This just goes to show that sometimes when things don't happen like you want them to, give it time, because God probably has something SO much better in mind :)

On another note, to find out why I wanted this SO stinking badly for Isaiah, google: Ipads for autism. It seriously blows my mind how much this tool helps people like Isaiah. He has used them in his therapy and absolutely loves them, and I can't wait until he realizes that this one is his for good :)