G&L home is one big family.  All the boys sleep in one room and the girls sleep in another room.  Everyone eats to together for dinner and helps out around the house.  On the weekdays the kids usually bike about one kilometer to school; however, sometimes the kids must walk if they do not follow discipline!  During the evenings the children are usually doing homework, having fun or having Bible lessons taught by Joseph and Grace. During the study time Joseph and Grace are with the kids helping them with their homework, making sure they are studying as they should. Prayer times/devotionals are held every morning, afternoons and evenings. On the weekends church is held in the G&L home. During the service Joseph teaches and his brother plays the guitar and leads worship. The children also have the opportunity to recite the bible verses they have been learning which is quite impressive.

Sometimes Joseph travels with one or two of the older children to do door-to-door evangelism in the outskirts of Yangon and also travels to remote villages to witness, preach and pray for the people. Joseph and the kids also give out gospel tracts and “The Reality of Sonship” books.

Throughout Myanmar there is a shortage of good schools. Good schools have long waiting lists or charge tuition fees much higher than what most people can afford. A well balanced primary and secondary education ranges between 15,000 Kyats (15 USD) to 50,000 Kyats (50 USD) per month with higher costs at higher grade levels.  Although Myanmar’s culture emphasizes the importance of education, the long period of poor education under military rule has resulted in a generation without social structure to promote a desire or ability for children to learn.

“Myanmar’s education system is in a very weakened state.  The physical condition and human resource capacity of the system is poor by any standards. A process of recovery is getting underway, but it will take years before significant improvements are evident.” [Hayden, M., Martin, R., Recovery of the Education System in Myanmar, 2013. Journal of International and Comparative Education, V2]

Public education is not free and is a burden for moderate income families in Myanmar and not possible for the poor.

“Many public schools expect parents who have primary school children to pay for building maintenance, school furniture and school books. The higher you go up in the (public) school system, the more you pay.” Free education costs in Myanmar, Asia Times.

G&L provides the financial means for the children to receive formal education programs while also giving them informal education (life skills) and the social structure (encouragement and help) to enable them to support themselves and prepare them for independent living. A significant amount of financial resources is used for school tuition and school supplies for both public and extra schooling.  They help with the kid’s homework by providing one-on-one tutoring during the evening as well as keeping them focused and on track with their course work.  The kids receive a holistic education with better writing and reading skills. This prepares them to be able to support themselves in the future and have a better standard of living.

Please read a letter from Joseph on the financial educational needs of Grace and Love Children’s Home: Grace & Love financial needs

Joseph Lal H. Puia is a native missionary pastor from Myanmar. He received a vivid calling from the Lord as a teacher, pastor and native missionary.  In 2004, God gave Joseph a vision to start an orphanage ministry but this didn’t come into fruition until later.  In 2008 he was called out of Yangon to preach the good news to a small Buddhist community in the small town of Twantay.  Joseph returned to Yangon and in God’s faithfulness,  Grace and Love Children’s Home was started and in 2012, the church at G&L home was established. Read Joseph’s Testimony

Joseph currently pastors the church at Grace & Love Children’s Home, which is the base for all their ministries. Joseph with his wife and sister cares for the children at the G&L home.  He also serves as chairman of Grace & Love Ministry that plants churches in Yangon and in regions throughout Myanmar. He teaches a Christ centered message with a biblical foundation in churches, villages, homes and wherever else God calls him.

Grace teaches a women’s cell group and Bible study. She also prepares lessons for the children, and takes care of the day-to-day home operation and housekeeping. Before G&L, she worked in her hometown church as an accountant and secretary for 15 years. Grace graduated with a M.A. in her Township Kalaymyo in 2007.

Grace and Joseph Puia were married in 2013. Together they have published Christian booklets, gospel tracks and have more on the way.  On August 5th, 2015, their daughter (first child) Maglan Lal Ding Puia was born!

Joseph, Grace and Maglan Puia