2023 May Newsletter

“NOW A CERTAIN WOMAN OF THE WIVES OF THE SONS OF THE PROPHETS CRIED OUT TO ELISHA, ‘YOUR SERVANT MY HUSBAND IS DEAD, AND YOU KNOW THAT YOUR SERVANT FEARED THE LORD; AND THE CREDITOR HAS COME TO TAKE MY TWO CHILDREN TO BE HIS SLAVES.’

ELISHA SAID TO HER, ‘WHAT SHALL I DO FOR YOU? TELL ME, WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN THE HOUSE?’ AND SHE SAID, ‘YOUR MAIDSERVANT HAS NOTHING IN THE HOUSE EXCEPT FOR A JAR OF OIL.’

THEN HE SAID, ‘GO, BORROW VESSELS AT LARGE FOR YOURSELF FROM ALL YOUR NEIGHBORS, EVEN EMPTY VESSELS; DO NOT GET A FEW.

“AND YOU SHALL GO IN AND SHUT THE DOOR BEHIND YOU AND YOUR SONS, AND POUR OUT INTO ALL THE VESSELS, AND YOU SHALL SET ASIDE WHAT IS FULL.’

SO SHE WENT FROM HIM AND SHUT THE DOOR BEHIND HER AND HER SONS; THEY WERE BRINGING THE VESSELS TO HER AND SHE POURED.

WHEN THE VESSELS WERE FULL, SHE SAID TO HER SON, ‘BRING ME ANOTHER VESSEL.’ AND HE SAID TO HER, ‘THERE IS NOT ANOTHER VESSEL MORE.’ AND THE OIL STOPPED.

THEN SHE CAME AND TOLD THE MAN OF GOD. AND HE SAID, ‘GO, SELL THE OIL AND PAY YOUR DEBT, AND YOU AND YOUR SONS CAN LIVE ON THE REST.’” (2 KINGS 4:1-7)

In this story we find the widow of a prophet and her two children in debt to a creditor. The Law of Moses required this woman to give her two children to the creditor to serve as indentured servants until the debt was paid, or until the year of Jubilee. She cried out to the prophet Elisha for help. He asked her a simple question: “What do you have in the house?” She replied that all she had was a small jar of anointing oil. He then told her to collect as many vessels as possible from her neighbors and pour from the small jar of oil she had until all the vessels were filled. She could then sell the oil and pay her debt.

There are a number of significant applications for us in this story. The first thing we see is the universal problem all humans face – the ruling power of sin. She had fallen into debt and her debt must be paid. She has no means to pay it. The result is slavery for her children. So it is with us: “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).” In her despair, she turns to the prophet, confessing her problem and her helplessness to solve it. His solution requires faith and obedience on her part. She must believe the prophet’s word and follow his instructions. We also must confess our sin, our helplessness to overcome it on our own, and believe the gospel.

The second thing we see is that the oil in this story is clearly a picture of the Holy Spirit. Without Him we cannot acknowledge our sin, believe in the gospel, and walk in faith. With Him, we will have faith and freedom: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17). We must pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

“She poured.” The woman is saved as she pours out the little bit of oil she has and it is miraculously multiplied. I see many believers who remain in bondage to their sins and the things of this world. The focus of their faith is on themselves and their problems. The vessels in this story are a picture of the people around us. As we pour out the oil of the Spirit into their lives through kingdom acts of justice, mercy, and compassion, preaching the gospel to the lost, praying for the sick and oppressed, sharing what we have with others, the oil of the Spirit will be multiplied in our lives and theirs. It is in the work of the mission of the Great Commission that ruling power of sin will be destroyed. Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:17-19). Indeed, the “favorable year of the Lord” is the year of Jubilee, when all the slaves were set free!

I urge you to pour out the little you have, and watch God multiply it beyond measure. In this you will experience the joy, peace, and freedom of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name!

Prayer

• Please continue to pray for our disciples around the world, especially those living and working in dangerous areas of persecution.

• Pray for students who are applying to attend our training events, asking the Lord to send those whom He has chosen and prepared to attend.

• Pray for favor as they apply for US visas.

• Pray for the financial success and growth of The Keystone Project and our hotel, The Rushmore Express Inn & Family suites.

• Pray for our new fundraising effort calling upon our supporters to sponsor an international student to attend our training programs. The cost is $1200 per year ($100 per month) and will enable us to continue to provide our training at no cost to the students. You can find the details about this on our website www.keystoneproject.org.

• Pray for our staff, who work so hard and have sacrificed so much to serve the Lord through the mission God has given to us.

• Please pray also for the following ministry events:

o August 22-September 6 – Trip to India,

o October 2-27 – International Leaders’ Training.

o November – (dates TBD) Trip to Peru and Ecuador

If you would like to attend any of our training events, you can find the details on our website www.keystoneproject.org. As always, this training is offered to all at no cost, including hotel and food. I hope to see you here!

We appreciate your prayers and support for these events, thanking the Lord for all of you and praying for His blessings in all that you do for His glory!

For God’s Glory,

Richard Greene,
President of The Keystone Project

The Keystone Project, God’s Kairos Time For Me and Colombia

Twenty-six years ago I gave my heart and being to the Lord Jesus Christ. From this very moment, His passion for the lives and the unreached communities took root in me. Exactly four years ago I made the decision to leave my secular and professional work and surrender everything to Him. He called me immediately to missionary work in Galicia, Spain. The spiritual need is great and makes you think about “The What” and “The How” in doing the work of the Lord. I give glory to God that He knows what we need.

In the year 2022 through different ministry’s contacts, I came across The Keystone Project. It took a tremendous effort in all the extension of the word. However, I managed to travel and be
immersed in the brotherhood, love, joy, and passion with people from different countries. All with that love for the greatest insignia of the Lord’s Kingdom, which is to fulfill the task of winning and making disciples who win and make disciples. This, for me, is the most real thing that a child of God can have in his life. The experience was totally restorative and healing for me. When you are in this place, you don’t receive theological information, you receive the the integrality of what it is to serve God. At Keystone Project your mind refocuses, your vision is aligned, and your human desires and plans are confronted by the same Spirit of the Lord. You come out of that place loving and desiring to fulfill the work of Christ, to live for Christ, and if necessary, to die for the truth and faith in His word. That happened and continues to happen with me.

While at The Keystone Project I heard about the Online Academy, and I knew that the Lord was also calling me to serve Him through this platform. In a very surprising event, while I was in Colombia, God, through the Director of the Academy, Pastor David Saldivar, invited me to be part of it as a coach and so it has been since then! I thank the Lord that His vision is expanding and His purposes for our lives are advancing! Today we have been able to certify and implanted the DNA of the Great Commission to 18 leaders and pastors in Colombia. We are ready to start another class with 25 people in Colombia. Glory to Christ!

I would like to truly thank the Keystone Project and all those beautiful brothers and sisters who are working tirelessly and unselfishly to give to others what God has implanted in their lives by serving the nations. I would also like to thank brother Richard Greene for his impartation in each teaching and Pastor David Saldivar for focusing on the great Commission of God through calling and training God’s people. The Keystone Project, you are a beautiful and glorious KAIROS OF GOD for this time.

David Saldivar,
Global Operations

Our 2024-2025 Training Calendar!

We are excited to announce that our new training calendar has been scheduled for 2024-2025! In addition to the upcoming Fall Training over October 2-27, 2023, we also have the following dates posted on our website for the next two years:

• April 1 – 26, 2024 – Spring International Leaders Training (French and Spanish Translation)
• October 7 – November 1, 2024 – Fall International Leaders Training (French and Spanish Translation)
• February 24 – 28, 2025 – Native and First Nations Training
• March 31 – April 25, 2025 – Spring International Leaders Training (French and Spanish Translation)
• October 6 – 31, 2025 – Fall International Leaders Training (French and Spanish Translation)

Whether you have already attended a training in the past or if you were recently introduced to The Keystone Project, we encourage you to prayerfully consider joining us at one of these training events and equipping yourself to go deeper into the work of the Great Commission. This training will take you through a radical paradigm shift from simply “doing” church to going out into your community and being the Church! You’ll be challenged to reach outside the confines of church buildings and programs, to go to the marginalized and the oppressed, and to reach the unreached with the Gospel of the Kingdom. Rather than trying to attract people to your church, you’ll learn how to go out and launch movements of disciples who make disciples who make disciples by the power of the Holy Spirit.

As you undergo this paradigm shift, you’ll also gain practical experience going out on the mission right here in the Rapid City area. Each week, you’ll walk side-by-side with your fellow students and an experienced coach, learning first-hand how to reach the lost, how to walk in the Spirit, and how to begin making disciples. This is an exciting opportunity for you to experience the kingdom life of a disciple and to begin practicing what you are learning in the training, so that you are ready to launch a disciple-making movement when you return home! Even if you have attended a previous training, it is always beneficial to refresh yourself on what you learned, to go deeper into new content, and to gain more hands-on training on the mission. For both new and returning students, we would also encourage you to pray about any friends or disciples that you can bring with you, so that you can go through the training together and partner on the mission together when the training is over.

If you are interested in attending a training, we advise you to begin the application process as soon as possible, so that you have plenty of time to secure your visa and book your airfare to come to the training. Your first step is to fill out the Training Application Form on the Training Events page of our website. Once you have completed the application, paid the $25 application fee, and finished the registration assignment, we will review your application and send you more information to help you prepare for your visa interview at the US Embassy. Students are responsible for all their travel expenses to come to the training, including their visa and airfare; however, we will provide the training conference, ground transportation, food, and lodging at no additional cost. We still have openings for our next training in October 2023, and there is still time for you to complete this process if you act soon. Many US Embassies around the world are very busy and may have visa interviews completely booked for several weeks or even months; this is the time to begin your application and start the visa process, so that you have plenty of time to secure an early interview date, plan your trip well in advance, and be prepared to make the most of your time here.

As always, we will be praying and trusting that God will open the doors for the right students to attend each training – those who will go back and implement the principles that they learn here. Please join us in praying for these training events, that God will lead us in every detail and provide for every need in a way that only He can. Pray for the students who will be attending, that God will prepare their hearts to be transformed and equipped for the work of the Great Commission. Pray for the nations that these students will represent, that they will go back and make God known in every tribe, tongue, people, and nation around them. And if you feel that God is leading you to attend a training, we urge you to take your next steps and join us in the journey to see the Great Commission fulfilled!

“How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? How are they to believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!’” – Romans 10:14-15 (NASB)

Dustin Stuckey,
Training Event Coordinator