Mike and Myriam Lawson, School of Agriculture, UCNH
Mike and Myriam Lawson have an important ministry to the people of
Haiti. Mike has been an instructor in the
UCNH School of
Agriculture (see their Missionary Spotlight) since its founding in 1994, teaching young Haitians
sustainable agriculture and horticulture. Myriam teaches
English and Spanish to the children of the other missionaries on
campus, as well as the children of the University's staff. Mike
and Myriam live on the
UCNH campus with their two young children,
Ruth Ann and John.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with a
population of 6.9 million people. The country is more than 97%
deforested. At its present rate, Haiti will have no trees at all
within the next several years. Most people in Haiti cut trees
for use as fuel for cooking. Others cut trees to sell lumber
for building. Because of the extensive deforestation, soil
erosion is a major problem in Haiti. This fact was made
painfully clear in 2004 when Tropical Storm Jeanne devastated the
city of Gonaives, killing thousands as flood waters rolled off the
mountains into the plains, bringing mud and destruction throughout
the city below (photo lower left). The three main
areas of focus in the program are to confront the problems of
deforestation, to implement a plan to provide food for the people of
Haiti, and to provide a source of income to replace the selling of
charcoal.
The campus of
UCNH is located a short distance from Cap Haitien,
on the north coast of Haiti. There are currently 85 students enrolled in
the School of Agriculture program. These students have a five year program
of study, with the first two years including mainly core classes with the
students in all majors. Then, during the last three years, they focus primarily
on their major in agriculture. Included in the program are two classes in
community development, encouraging Haitians to work together in building a
cohesive plan of sustainable agriculture for their home communities.
The campus is blessed with a large amount of land to teach these critical
skills. There is a main area for planting crops, surrounding the large
greenhouse. These crops are rotated, to best maintain soil productivity,
and to teach the students how to ensure the long-term health of the land.Â
The greenhouse is used as a starter area for tree germination and local
reforestation. Most of the surrounding mountains have been almost
completely stripped of any vegetation, and one of the students' on-going
projects is to replant these hillsides.
Every ministry in Haiti has many facets and the Lawson's ministry is no
different. Daily activities can range widely, from teaching, to planting,
to counseling. In the above left photo, Mike is spending time counseling
with a young, soon-to-be-married Haitian couple.
Mike and Myriam Lawson have spent 17 years together serving the Lord in
Haiti. To learn more about them
and their ministry, friends and supporters
are encouraged to write to them at the following mail and e-mail addresses:
Mike and Myriam Lawson
Unit 1013 - ICEF
3170 Airmans Drive
Ft. Pierce, FL 34946
Email:Â
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