Greetings beloved:
Before giving you our personal prayer request, I just wanted to give you a little update on the state of “Gratefully Grafted Ministries Int’l.” As you know, Cheryl and I have been working under the new wineskin since March of this year. God is faithful to lead us day by day into the new and exciting horizons of serving Him and His people.

I just returned from leading a SWAT team of 17 into Israel once again. The team bonded immediately and walked with great prophetic maturity. We met with many leaders in the land and were able to encourage and lift them up on eagle’s wings. What a rich time.

It has been very exciting to lead smaller groups of intercessors because of the type of work that we set out to accomplish. We are able to move in a stealth mode and thus follow the cloud by day and the fire by night. I believe that this is all in accordance with a prophetic word that the Lord gave me back in 1994; that I would be leading small Spiritual Warfare Adoration Teams (S.W.A.T) in and out of the land. This has proven to be the case (not that we won’t have bigger groups from time to time).

Cheryl and I have much vision as we move on into the future. We are already releasing over $100,000 per year into ministries throughout Israel and we believe that God will increase it. We have vision and new opportunities to expand our SWAT ministry tours not only into Israel but also into other nations where there are Jewish orphans and families desiring to come back to Israel, God’s Promised Land to Abraham Isaac and Jacob. I was just asked to consider bringing a team into Russia and also to pray down the walls to France, where anti-Semitism runs rampant.

We have been yearly leading a 24/7 Worship SWAT team into Tel Aviv to work with Emmaus Way for the full time we are in the land. No touring, just prayer and worship. This last trip I was asked to consider bringing a 24/7 SWAT team to do the same thing up in the Haifa / Carmel area with David and Karen Davis and Carmel Assembly.

We are even now working towards the February Worship tour in Tel Aviv and planning the Spring Tour for new comers and veteran’s just days prior to Passover. We also have reserved 25 rooms by faith for the Feast of Tabernacles with Barry and Batya Segal and the Messianic Community for next September, 2005. By faith we are asking God for fifty intercessors to go with us and fill those rooms as we celebrate the ingathering.

I was also just approached about leading a “Generation Tour” (Youth) in the summer of 2005, while touring with a band called “All But Screaming” throughout Israel. We would set up a tour based on the band playing concerts in every city that we can book and training and utilizing the youth to share their faith with the Jewish people, speaking hope to them in Yeshua.

We are working at expanding our website www.gratefullygrafted.org to better serve the ministries there. We are basically launching “mini sites” within the “Gratefully Grafted Site” each ministry having a page or two within our site as well as a link to their own personal site (if they have one).

We would also expand our “Online Book Store” into a “Messianic Web Mall” where we can offer Israel Ministries Music, Art, Books, Tapes, Judaica and Products; thus cutting man hours, saving time and the expense of double shipping by allowing you to order directly from Israel. This will be a savings to you. There are many there who have been affected financially by the Intifada and desperately need our help.

Lastly, it is important that you understand that this entire ministry is being accomplished by just two people; Cheryl and I. It is obvious that we need help. Though we are receiving financial support for ministries in Israel (which we are oh so thankful for), we are not receiving the much needed funds to meet our personal and administrative needs. We need your help friends. The ministry opportunities are great but the bottom line is, without meeting the base needs of Gratefully Grafted Ministries Int’l we cannot do the work, we cannot hire much needed staff. We are greatly inhibited as we venture out to embrace all that God has for us. It is a pleasure to serve you, Israel and the Lord. We just need partners to stand with us in this honorable work.

PLEASE saints, would you consider making a monthly contribution to Gratefully Grafted Ministries and partner with us in carrying on the expanding work that the Lord is laying before us? I met with many leaders in Israel on this last trip and they are standing with Cheryl and I. In fact not one leader that I spent time with had a negative thing to say concerning our record, but gladly invited us with outstretched arms to come along side and minister to the Messianic ministries throughout Israel and God’s Chosen People.

We, the Gentile of the nations, the Church of the Redeemed, have been called by God for such a time as this. Like Ruth, we have the opportunity to restore the lost inheritance to Israel and thus fulfill the great and rich promises of God, resulting in the One New Man coming forth in the spirit of Psalm 133, Jew and Gentile, one in the Spirit. We need your monthly committment to stand financially with us. Visit our web site at www.gratefullygrafted.org and judge for yourselves the progress that we are making. And if you find us worthy of your support, we welcome it. Shalom and Thank you! Rick and Cheryl

Here are a few words from SWAT 17 concerning Gratefully Grafted.

•  Thank you Gratefully Grafted Ministries for allowing me to touch the people of Israel. My heart has been enlarged and saturated with love for the nation of Israel. - Pastor Daryle Robinson
•  This was my first journey overseas and I’m thankful that it was to Israel with Gratefully Grated Ministries. – Holly Eyell
•  Dear Rick, What a wonderful experience; because of the opportunity to pray over and hear from leaders all the way from Caesarea to the Galilee, to the Dead Sea and then to Jerusalem. – Adel Morse
•  I would recommend this tour to all. As a first timer to Israel this tour has brought me to a deeper understanding of my roots. My love for our lord Jesus and the Jewish people has increased more than I can explain. – Myron Chapman
•  Rick and Cheryl, Thank you so much for saying yes to the Lord. God is good, the team was great. May God continue to bless the work of Gratefully Grafted Ministries Int’l in Jesus name, Amen. – Julia Wall