Mission Spotlight

Pastor Medou Eyi
Let There Be Two!

Our goal is to eventually build dormitories so that 900 students will be able to attend from all
around Gabon.
We’re very excited that one of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering projects this quarter will help our
mission work in Gabon!
My name is Pastor Georges Medou Eyi, and I’m the president of the Gabon Mission of Seventh-
day Adventists. Located in our nation’s capital of Libreville, our campus houses an office
building, a primary school, a secondary school, a dispensary, and a church.
The Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter will help us build an additional secondary school in
the city of Franceville, a little more than 500 kilometers, or about 310 miles, away from Libreville.
This facility is urgently needed because one of the key ways we share the Adventist message in
our country is through our mission schools.
You can imagine the challenge we face in trying to reach 1.75 million Gabonese people with only
one primary and one secondary school in our country. The new facility will enable us to share the
Adventist message with many non-Adventist students and their families and build a strong
Adventist presence for Gabon in the future.
Reaching Non-Adventist Students
Our secondary school in Libreville is a real mission school. Approximately 70 percent of our
students are not Adventists, and some of that number are not Christians. But the school is small,
and there’s no room for expansion on our crowded campus. We can accommodate no more than
120 students.
Our primary school is larger and can accommodate 300 children. That’s a blessing in itself, but
when these children are ready to advance to secondary school, we have to turn away many of
them. This means they’ll have to attend a public or private school where Saturday exams are
mandatory.
Many of the students we decline have given their lives to Jesus and chosen to observe His
Sabbath. They ask, “Why should we try to be Adventists when you have no school for us to
attend where we can remain true to our convictions? We’ll consider becoming Adventists once
we’re through with our education.” This breaks our hearts, especially when we know that
children are far more receptive to the gospel than adults, and it will be harder to reach them later.
Sadly, these non-Adventist primary students aren’t the only ones we must turn away. Many non-
Adventist families in Libreville value the quality of our education. They bring their children to us,
saying, “We’re entrusting them to you because we know you’re Christians who will educate
them to become good citizens.”
Imagine, the population is coming to us to receive the gospel, and we’re turning them away!
We’re losing an opportunity to reach not only these children for Christ but their parents as well.
Reaching the Community
We put a strong emphasis on outreach in our secondary school and organize many programs for
our students to engage in. Energetic, strong, and passionate for mission, these young people are
key to reaching the community for Christ. They help the sick receive care in our dispensary and
comfort the lonely, grieving, and depressed. They pray with people, tell them about Jesus, and
distribute food and clothing. Our church is growing because they’re mingling with people and
meeting their needs.
Building a Strong Church for the Future
We have 3,041 Adventist members in Gabon, and approximately 79 percent of them are students.
All of these young people, with the exception of those living in Libreville, have no choice but to
attend a non-Adventist school, where they face many pressures, including mandatory Sabbath
exams.
It’s been our experience that many of our students drift from the faith when they attend a non-
Adventist school. We need to provide them with a safe haven where they’re free to worship on
Sabbath with their church family and receive spiritual nurturing.
An Invaluable Boost
Having two secondary schools will give mission an invaluable boost in Gabon. The new school
facility will initially accommodate about 450 students, but our goal is to eventually build
dormitories so that 900 students will be able to attend from all around Gabon. When these students
return to their homes, they’ll take the Advent message with them.
Please support this project generously so that we can help our people in Gabon know and love
Jesus and be ready for His soon return.
Mission Post
Sixty-two percent of Gabon’s population is under age 25, making them an ideal focus for
Adventist mission through education.
In 1975 the Equatorial African Union Mission (currently Central African Union Mission) sent
literature evangelist Raymond Ondoua and his wife to begin the Adventist work in Gabon.
In 1976, Daniel Cordas was sent by the General Conference to Gabon, where he formed a church
of more than 40 members in the nation’s capital.
The Gabon Mission was organized in 1978.

Mission Spotlight

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Mission Spotlight

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Pastor Medou Eyi

Let There Be Two!

Reaching Non-Adventist Students

Reaching the Community

Building a Strong Church for the Future

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