MATCHING GRANT= DOUBLE BLESSING!!

Dear Family and Friends,

If you read our last blog, then you know that we are adopting again!  If you haven’t heard, we have agreed to bring a sweet 6 year old little girl from Ethiopia into our forever family!  We are so excited and so honored that God chose us to be her parents!  Her name is Mersha and she is precious! I wish you could see her sweet face, but Ethiopian law does not allow it.  She also has diabetes, which is considered a special need in Ethiopia due to the lack of quality medical care and healthy food.  So, we are trying to do everything within our power to bring her home quickly (unfortunately, some things will be beyond our control), but we are praying it will be within the next six to twelve months.  So, we are asking each of you to partner with us in prayer for our new daughter.

This road to adoption is full of many joys and challenges, the greatest joy being the inclusion of a child into our family and the greatest challenge being finances.  The costs of adoption include the expense of a home study, adoption agency, lawyers, international fees, travel expenses, etc., etc., etc.

But, praise God, We were recently awarded a matching funds grant to help with the expenses of our adoption through Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc. a non-profit private operating foundation.  Hand in Hand will match any funds that are donated through our friends and family for the expenses of our adoption.  All funds received through our friends and family will be matched dollar for dollar by Hand in Hand up to our awarded grant amount.   All donations are tax-deductible.   If you feel led to give, any amount helps!  All donations will be used for adoption related expenses.

Please find below a grant award letter that will explain more about the matching grant program from Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc. You can find out more about Hand in Hand through their website at www.handinhandadopt.org. If you have further questions about the Hand in Hand matching grant program please feel free to give us a call at 816-516-4431 or email us at sharpfamily4him@gmail.com.  You may also contact Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc. with any questions you may have.  They can be reached at 913-248-5015 or by e-mail at handinhandadopt@gmail.com.

Please send all donations by check (sorry, they don’t do online giving)  made payable to “Hand in Hand Christian Adoption” postmarked by May 7th  to: (for tax purposes please include our name on the outside of the envelope only…do not put our name on the check itself)

Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc.  

Mark and Christine Sharp

18318 Mimosa Court                                                                                                                               Gardner, KS  66030   

      

  Thank you for your prayerful consideration in helping bring Mersha into her “forever” family.

In Him,

Mark and Christy Sharp

816-516-4431

Sharpfamily4him@gmail.com

 Dear Mark & Christy:

 We have reviewed your application for a matching grant and are pleased to inform you that you have been awarded a dollar for dollar matching grant up to $5,000. The specific amount received will depend on the amount of funds donated by family and friends on your behalf. The grant amount includes both the funds raised and the funds matched by HANDinHAND Christian Adoption, Inc. If you raise $2,500 from family and friends, HANDinHAND will match those funds for a total grant of $5,000. Funds received over the grant amount will go toward your adoption expenses not to exceed the outstanding adoption expenses but will not be matched by HANDinHAND. Funds received over outstanding adoption expenses will help other children find “forever” families through the general fund of HANDinHAND Christian Adoption, Inc. All monies will be disbursed directly to your adoption agency, adoption lawyer or other adoption expenses after HANDinHAND has received an approved invoice from one of these sources. Monies already paid will not be reimbursed. Only outstanding balances will be paid by your awarded grant. Monies will be disbursed up to the amount of the final awarded grant. All donated monies must be in our HANDinHAND office or postmarked by May 7, 2015 to be considered in the dollar for dollar match for your specific grant. Funds received after this time will go toward the general fund of HANDinHAND Christian Adoption, Inc. to continue to help children find “forever” families. In the case of a disrupted adoption, monies will be held for your use for up to 1 year from the disruption then after that time will be used to help other children and their families through Hand in Hand’s general fund. We are so excited to be able in a small way to help a child find a “forever” family. Thank you for being obedient to God’s call in your life to help a child. We appreciate your heart and look forward to working with you in accomplishing this goal.

 Sincerely,

 Trudy A. George President

 HANDinHAND Christian Adoption,Inc.