April 1, 2014:  Today, I finally got a car!  Really, this is not an April fool’s Day joke!  I got an e-mail on Sunday night from a guy named Ray who wanted to trade another purple Lego for a 1986 Nissan 4x4 Pickup Truck.  The way that he found out about my project is the amazing part of the story.  He has been planning to donate the truck for a few weeks.  So, on Sunday he googled, “where to donate a car,” and kept clicking on links for two hours until he came to me and Crosses for Losses.  He said it was a, "total God thing" and as soon as he read about the project he knew that he was inspired to give me the truck.  He had never heard of the One Purple Lego Project or Crosses for Losses until that search.  He is a teacher at North Middle school in Colorado Springs School District 11 which is also an IB school.  We met today and made the trade.  Now, I have a new project, because I’m definitely going to fix up the truck.  He said he didn’t care if I sold it or traded it for another car.  If I do sell it, it won’t be until after it’s all fixed up.  One Purple Lego is far from over especially since I plan to start a new trade line for Crosses for Losses with the air compressor.  I also did another interview with the Gazette and I also got interviewed by Clear Channel Radio News, so I might be on some various radio stations. This has all turned out 1000 times better that I ever thought it would. 
   I’ve learned so much throughout this project.  First of all, helping people out that are going through a difficult time the most important thing.  I also learned that this project wouldn't have been possible or successful without the support from God, family, friends, teachers, and total strangers who traded with me. They all believed in me and the idea of the One Purple Lego Project.  But most importantly, God has guided me through every step and helped me make lasting connections, for that I am eternally thankful.  I also want to thank everyone for their encouragement and support, especially Amanda and the staff at Crosses for Losses.  I hope you all can donate something to them sometime, because the people in Black Forest still need help.  I hope that you can find a way to help people that are in need in your community, it feels really good to help. 




The story was covered again by the news and the Gazette.  Here is the link to the Gazette article:  http://gazette.com/colorado-springs-teen-barters-rare-lego-for-set-of-wheels/article/1517495

                                          This is Ray and his daughter