March 30th, 2014: Something BIG is happening this week, stay tuned for more....
Here is the link to the news story:  http://www.koaa.com/videos/teen-donates-car-to-black-forest-charity-organization/

March 29th, 2014:  We made it back to Crosses for Losses and they were all really excited to get the ambulance and they said it was going to help a lot of people when they go to disasters. Also, Amanda (the director and founder of Crosses for Losses) and I were interviewed by KOAA News Channel 5 and were on the 10:00 news tonight. I feel great now that I’ve helped Crosses for Losses out by giving them an ambulance. I want to be involved with them more now. I’m also excited about trying for another car by trading the air compressor. Maybe, I’ll call it One Purple Lego 2.0 or ???

Here is the link to the KOAA news story:  
http://www.koaa.com/news/teen-uses-swapping-to-turn-lego-into-car-donated-to-black-forest-charity/

                                        

March 29th, 2014:  During this project, a lot has happened, I’ve met a lot of new people and I’ve learned a lot about those people. On Monday, I sold the snowmobiles and trailer for $2000 and wanted to give half of it to Crosses for Losses. Then, it didn’t feel right, like I should help Crosses for Losses more...I was hesitant at first, but I prayed about it and decided to let God handle it. It was really hard to give up the idea of getting the car, but I think it will happen eventually. So, I felt that I should try to get something for them that was on their wish list. A while back, they told me that they wanted a box truck or an old ambulance to help with disaster relief. We found a great box truck on Craigslist which happened to be in Amarillo. The owner even took $400.00 off the price. We talked to Amanda at Crosses for Losses and she told me that they had also found a nice ambulance in Walsenburg. They decided that they would rather have the ambulance, so we contacted the seller. His name was Nate and we told him the story from beginning to end, he liked what he heard and lowered the price. We made the trip to his house in Walsenburg today and bought the Ambulance with the $2000 plus some other money that was donated for the cause. We test drove the ambulance; it’s really nice and all of the sirens and lights are cool too. We chatted awhile and then sealed the deal. Nate and his wife Kari are some of the nicest people that I have met on this journey. They even gave me an air compressor to start a new trade line to get the car.
   

March 24th, 2014:  I've had a few offers for the snowmobiles and trailer, manly for cash. The best one that I received was for a art classroom from some sixth graders, but they never got back to me when I asked if the kids came with the deal. Another promising offer was for a week at a condo in Breckenridge, but it was for next week and that was too soon. Then, tonight I got a call from my youth leader. His dad wanted to look at everything. When we met, he offered me $2000 for it all. That was less that I wanted, but I decided to take the offer since the snow will be melting soon. Brad was a pastor in Monument, Colorado for nearly 25 years and now he mentors pastors and helps with church plants throughout the state. He lives in Glenwood Springs and said I could come to visit and ride them anytime. Now, I have decided to donate half of the $2000 to Crosses for Losses and use the other $1000 to buy a car. I really hoped to get more for Crosses for Losses, so I have challenge. I am asking everyone to donate $5-$10 to them. Maybe, they will get enough to match my donation. they have a donation tab on their on their Facebook page or website. I have been looking and cars in this price range need some work, but that's O.K., because I still need to get my licence. I will keep you posted.

March 9, 2014: Today we went to Loveland, Colorado to trade with a guy named Roland. At one point, we thought we would never make it there, because we got all the way to Denver and realized that we left the base to the TV at home. So we had to turn around and go back 45 miles. We were an hour late and thought about saying that we forgot about the time change.

On Saturday, I found Roland's ad on Craigslist, he was having a “barter yard sale,” and had a lot of good stuff so I gave him a call. He was interested in trading and told me to send pics. When I called him back he said he wanted to make two trades! So, I traded both the TV and BG 1000 Home Gym! For the TV, I got a trailer that can haul snowmobiles, motorcycles, ATVs, etc. For the BG 1000 Home Gym, I got a snowmobile. Finally, something with a motor! Then, my parents bought another snowmobile from the same guy. They plan to “trade up”or sell it to benefit Crosses for Losses. They have been wanting to help in some way and decided that it was a good time. Here's why: Roland was trading the snowmobiles and trailer because he couldn't ride them anymore, due to the fact that he almost died a couple months ago. Not because of an accident or anything, you can read all about it here: 

http://www.reporterherald.com/news/loveland-local-news/ci_24952224/brain-hemorrhage-humbling-experience-loveland-businessman

So, now you can see why they picked this time to help.

Just to recap: now I’m trading a trailer on one trade line, and a snowmobile on the other line.

March 5, 2014:  A lot has happened since my last post. I was interviewed by KOAA news and our paper, the Gazette.  Here is the link to the article:

http://gazette.com/colorado-springs-teen-aims-to-barter-for-car-money-for-charity-with-one-purple-lego-plan/article/1515609

 

Another thing that happened was that I got a call from Clear Chanel Radio, and their local stations want to interview me. This might help me reach my goal and help get donations towards Crosses for Losses. I have gotten a few trade offers for the TV. There was one that I turned down immediately, it was one where I’d get $200 for the TV, which was obviously a trade down. Another one I got was a Toshiba Laptop and $200 (not from the same person earlier), and a high powered computer graphics card, these, I’m thinking about. But, the best trade offer I’ve gotten was for an actual car. NO JOKE!!! I had a lot of questions for the guy, which turned out to be a girl, before I could actually seal the deal. It was for a 1996 Subaru Outback, but unfortunately, the trade didn’t go through. The girl changed her mind and wanted some cash with the TV. It’s probably for the best, because the car had 250,000 miles and needed some work and tires. And, I don’t have cash to go with an offer. I am a little disappointed, but something better will come.