EXPLORE OUR WORK IN CAMEROON
ABOUT US
The Inspiration Behind Our Mission Trip
The Kees family and Their Cameroon work
W. Paul Kee has been in the Lord's work in Cameroon for 36 years, first arriving there in 1967. He is the son of Windle and Barbara Kee, who spent 20 years in Africa before they returned to the States in 1992. Windle was the first preacher with a Master's Degree in the St. Louis area when he came to Collinsville, Illinois in 1960. In 1967, the Kees were the first missionaries ever sent out from the St. Louis, Missouri area. They returned after 2-1/2 years to resume preaching at Collinsville; but went back to Cameroon in 1974. Windle now preaches on Sundays at Holiday, Texas. He and Barbara are members at Faith Village in Wichita Falls, Texas. They both campaign in Belize, Central America every year.
Janet Winter was the daughter of John (late) and Evelyn Winter of Memphis, and she grew up at Macon Road. While on her first mission trip to Cameroon in 1975, she met Windle, Barbara, and Alicejoy Kee, who told her about Paul, who was a Senior at Harding. They wrote him favorably about her. He came to see her in Memphis, got engaged in six weeks, and got married two months later! After five months of traveling and raising support, they went to Cameroon as full-time workers in November 1976.
After seven years in the South West, Paul and Janet Kee started the work in Nso' from scratch in 1982. Nso' (pronounced en-SO) is the largest tribe under one Fon (king) and one dialect in the country, with about 500,000 subjects. Paul understands much of the language, and a lot of French, but he uses his fluent Pidgin English to preach and teach. He was involved in the New Testament translation into Lamnso', and has five brethren working on the Old Testament translation project. Paul is also a traditional ruler (clan leader) of the Nso' tribe, Faay Shu Lav Mfu' Nyuy, and he has been the Chairman of the Mbve' Village Council. Janet's name is Wiiy Baa (village mother) because Paul has adopted and been adopted by the isolated village of Buu. Please always remember all of the Kees in public and private prayers.
Malena & Trevor
Malena Beth Kee was born in 1979 and married Trevor Brown in 1999. She and her brother, Ryan, were both home-schooled in Cameroon through high school. Malena graduated from Freed-Hardeman in 2002 and completed her Master's from there in 2005. They are living in Illinois now, where Trevor's parents lived.
Ryan & Laura
Ryan Joseph Kee was born in 1982 and married Laura Britnell in 2003. Although younger than Ryan, Laura graduated that year from Freed-Hardeman, with a degree in Computer Science. Ryan did three years at Freed-Hardeman and then two years at Tennessee Tech at Cookeville. He graduated in 2005, getting a B.S. in Physical Science from FHU and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from TTU. Laura works for a computer simulation company. Ryan works as a civilian for the US Army in aeronautical engineering.
PROGRAMS IN CAMEROON
Eight Programs
Eight programs of work shared by Paul and co-workers
1. Church Planting through Public Bible Lectures: This surfacing method is for finding the most interested souls in each quarter where we are evangelizing. We have done this in 268 quarters in 33 years, and have started 45 congregations in Bui Division. We have also been responsible for starting 35 other congregations in Donga/Mantung Division, so we take care of 80 congregations.
2. Bible Distribution in Targeted Quarters: In October, before the rains end, 12 quarters are targeted each dry season for Bible Lectures. Invitations to the lectures are distributed and a Bible is given to each house that has someone in it who can read (about 90% of the households). The same page number is then used in public preaching on the blackboard, so they can read along with the preacher. They also use it to read answers to questions, to read tracts, and to complete lessons.
3. Bible Lesson Office and Distribution: Since 1982, the Bible Lesson Office has given out over 200,000 introduction lessons. Over 6,000 serious students have undertaken the lessons, of which there are four courses in English and two in Lamnso’. Additionally, there have been almost 5,000 students who have taken lessons out in the targeted quarters. New Testaments are incentives.
4. Congregational Visitation and Maturation: In order to promote independence,autonomy, and self-reliance, the four evangelists (three of whom are Cameroonians) have a rotation on Sundays to visit different congregations each week. From the beginning, each congregation is expected to hold its own treasury, to arrange its own meeting place, and take care of its own materials. Teaching, preaching, and training on the local level are used to build upcongregations in the months following their establishment. Joint courses and campaigns promote awareness and unity.
5. Quarterly Lectureships and Campaigns: At different places around the 95 congregations in the North West Province, lectureships are held one or two times a year (plus the Annual National one). Even though there are some lectures for members, these are more like campaigns, because there is a lot of public preaching, house-to-house work, and personal evangelism, and many baptisms.
6. Periodic Leadership Training: Several types of short-term leadership training programs are available and used in the North West. About two times a year, there is a Men's Course at the Sonac Street congregation in Bamenda, the regional capital. Women also have two, two-day courses a year. There has been a new seven day course already taught in several places by Paul Kee on "Chunch Leadership: With and Without Elders." The Bible School now has an Annual Scholarship Lectureship each May.
7. Kumbo Christian Bible School, Nso’: Since 1989, long-term training for men and women has been available in Nso’. Two previous Bible Schools in the South West have closed, one in 1980 and then another in 1989. The four co-workers or evangelists provide the teaching and staff. KCBS, Nso’ provides a two-year diploma after six terms, but this takes 2½ years, because students are at home from mid-March until early September.This has enabled us to have 90% of our graduates to be back in their home congregations, self-supporting, well-trained church leaders and preachers.
Since 2001, the Bible School has had a French section, because seven central African countries speak French and need leadership training. This is the only preacher training school for the Church in the world that has both French and English sections. There is also an upper level in English, known as the Advanced Courses, which trains invitees for two months, for four summers, in much higher and challenging levels of Bible and related studies, to gain a Third-Year Diploma.
8. Translation into Lamnso’: In 1983, we got involved in the Revision process of the New Testament. This was published in 1990 and we have been the primary distributors of that, plus lessons and tracts in Lamnso’. We pay the rent on the Literacy Center and we had five brethren involved part-time in the translation of the Old Testament, which will be sold with a revised NT. We are leading the planning sessions for the Dedication of the complete Bible in Lamnso', on November 19, 2016.
JANET'S WORK
The other valuable half of the missionary couple
Janet Marie Kee heard a missionary speak when she was 10 and decided to be one. However, she thought about spending 10 years in the field. Her family was very strong in the faith, and she went to Harding for one year of pre-optometry in 1972. After that year, she went on a Holland campaign with several Harding students and Elvis Huffard. She went on to Optometry School and got an A.A. as an Optometric Technician and started work in East Tennessee in 1974.
In 1975 she saw Elvis Huffard, who invited her to join a group going to Cameroon, where she could give out glasses. Janet quit her job, raised her money (half of it her own), and then the college group she was to go with could not go, so she went by herself!
Now that the children are married and living in the States, Janet involves herself in two very important works, among other things. She gives out glasses and cases to the local people, mostly people who are 45 or older who are having a hard time reading. She does this two afternoons a week and has given out over 7,500 pairs of used eyeglasses and cases.
Janet also prepares Children's Bible Lessons for seven congregations in the area, so far. She works from scratch and has already produced 420 lessons through the Bible, being at present in the Book of Acts. These packets contain an outline for the teacher, visual aids, handouts, and colored printouts.
Of course, Janet travels with Paul when he reports in the States, provides an oasis for him when he comes home from work, and home-schooled both children through high school--both became good students! She is now able to do more teaching with women, and do her own personal work.
CONTACT US
W. Paul and Janet Kee
B.P. 85
Mbouda, Quest Province
Cameroon, West Africa
Home phone: 011-237-3348-1168
Cell phone: 011-237-7750-2250
Office phone: 011-237-3348-1119
Paul's e-mail address: wpaulkee@aol.com
Janet's e-mail address: jkee9@aol.com
https://keesincameroon.wixsite.com/keesincameroon