Generations before a man named David was born, eighty acres of the family’s small farm in Nebraska had been willed and separated out to a distant relative. David had heard the story over and over as a child, and he was determined as an adult to make the farm whole again.

In 2011, David learned that the 80 acres of land was going to be sold at an auction. Only in his 20’s, David needed to find an extraordinarily large amount of money, or he’d never get the land back. He had wanted to buy the land as long as he could remember, but he wasn’t ready yet.

Still, he knew in his heart he was going to give it his very best effort. He and his father did some meticulous planning and came up with the number that they were willing to pay for the land and headed for the auction.

When they walked through the door of the auction house, their hearts sunk. The place was packed with over 200 farmers. Men who had much larger farms and more resources than he and his father could ever compete with.

The auctioneer called the session to order and asked for the first bid. David made their first bid and waited. The auctioneer called for a second bid and silence filled the room. After several attempts to solicit another bid, the auctioneer called for a break.

After the break, the auction reconvened and the auctioneer called for a second bid. Again there was silence. Three more breaks followed, and each time when the auctioneer called for a second bid, the room fell silent.

Finally the auctioneer had no choice but to award the winning bid to David and his father. The father-son duo was stunned. The family farm was once again complete. The emotion on their faces was powerful and told the story itself.

There are plenty of stories in the world of what is wrong with it, but this is a story of true community and respect. It could have turned out much different, but the area farmers knew who the land truly belonged to.

Be sure to share this amazing story with your family and friends. We all need to have hope in the world we live in today.