Paul Romeus is a native of Haiti and moved to Limbe in 1964,
where initially he worked in a hospital doing maintenance work. Belle is
from North Dakota. She became a nurse and served first with American
Baptist Missions in a hospital in Cordova, Alaska. Through the ABM board,
she heard of a need in Haiti and began working with a doctor in Limbe in 1965.Â
After Paul's first wife died in 1972, Belle, who played the piano in the church
choir, and Paul, who directed the group, got married in 1974. In 1981,
Paul, as part of The King's Messengers (a 90 man choir group) traveled in
Southern California. Seeing the abundance in California, Paul began to
ask, "What can I do for the people of Haiti who have so little?"Â In
October, 1981, he started a school in Limbe, hoping to help the children achieve
a better quality of life through education. The first class of 20 children
(center photo below) met in a one room schoolhouse next to the Romeus' house.Â
In the second year of the school, Paul was able to rent a home across the street
(right photo below), allowing more children to attend.  An addition
was later added to the one room schoolhouse, providing dorm facilities (left photo
below).
As the school grew, people in Limbe began to tell Paul what a great work he was
doing. Paul's response was that it was a work of the Lord, and that it was
just a small drop in a big ocean, because the needs in Haiti are so great.Â
From this came the name of the school, the "Institut Drop of Love". In
1982, Grace Missions, first operating in Mexico, heard of Paul's work and came
to visit. They decided to partner with Paul by expanding their mission
work of education and economic assistance to the country of Haiti. With
the help of Grace Missions, Paul was able to purchase land in Limbe that allowed
for the construction of a larger permanent school facility. The school has
grown from its first class of 20 students to its current enrollment of 2,400
students, ranging from pre-k to college. When the high school level was
added in 1994 (lower left photo below), property had to be purchased across the street
from the main campus. This meant that a connecting bridge had to be built
(lower right photo below) to connect the two campuses.
Paul and the 125 teachers and staff members have been blessed by their
partnership with Grace Missions. The school now has a Christian radio
station (left photo below) and an extensive computer lab (right photo below).
The school also has a large open-air church on campus. It is not only used
by the school and the local community, but also hosting pastors' conferences and
other church related programs.
The needs of the children in Haiti often seem overwhelming. The number of
orphan and homeless children is staggering. Paul and Belle are working to
address this need by incorporating an orphanage at the school. The photos
below show some of the work in progress in the bedrooms. They hope to be
open by the next school year with space for about 50 children.
From the small beginnings in 1981, Institut Drop of Love has now celebrated 25
years of service to the community of Limbe. This anniversary was celebrated with
a large parade of children through the main street of town, with dignitaries
coming in from all over Haiti to attend. Paul and Belle still live
modestly in their home (above right photo) adjacent to the original one room
schoolhouse. Thousands of Haitian children have been able to receive an
education through their ministry, and Paul knows each child by name.
Paul and Belle Romeus have spent over 40 years serving the Lord in Haiti.Â
To learn more about their ministry, friends and supporters are encouraged to
write to them at the following mail and e-mail addresses:
Paul and Belle Romeus Unit 1024 - GMIH 3170 Airmans Drive Ft. Pierce, FL 34946 E-mail:
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