OUR FAMILY

Photo December 25, 2007

We are Ron, Debbie, Joseph, Samuel, Elijah, Hannah, Esther and Daniel Galbreath, missionaries to Japan. We call ourselves "Japanese Ministries."  Read on to learn a little about who we are.

Ron

Ron has a B.A. in Biblical Languages from Southwestern University in Waxahachie, Texas, and an M.A. in Linguistics from the University of Texas at Arlington. He first came to Japan in 1988 and worked for 4 years as a public school teacher in the city of Himi in west central Japan. In 1992 Ron received foreign missions appointment to Japan through the Assemblies of God Division of Foreign Missions. In 1993, while visiting churches and raising support for his work in Japan, Ron met Debbie. It was love at first sight. Ron and Debbie were married February 12, 1994, and returned to Japan in August of the same year.

Debbie

Debbie has a B.S. in Biochemistry from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. She was in the Pre-Med. program preparing for a career in pediatrics. After graduating in 1989, she decided to take a job teaching English in Japan before returning to the States for medical school. She ended up teaching for 3 years on the southern island of Kyushu. It was tough to say good-bye! In 1994, she was back in Washington State preparing for the entrance exam to medical school when she met Ron. Less than a year later, she was on a plane back to Japan as Mrs. Galbreath, a missionary with the Assemblies of God.

Joseph Mark

Photo:  Fall 2007

In March 2008, just a few weeks from this writing, Joseph will be graduating from Takadate Elementary School, and in April he will be starting the 7th grade at Shimonaga Junior High School.  He's done a fantastic job of keeping up with the other kids in Japanese school, in spite of the fact that he only attends public school in the mornings, and does English homeschooling in the afternoons and evenings.  On a recent standardized achievement test, Joseph took the highest score in his class in math and second highest in science.

For a couple of years now, Joseph has been taking swimming lessons at an indoor pool near our home.  He's learned four major strokes and is now competing against the clock while swimming laps.  Each week he swims about 3 miles.

Joseph also loves music.  He's been playing the piano sometimes in church and one day soon will be able to take over for Debbie as the church pianist.

Samuel Timothy

Photo: Fall 2007

Samuel will soon be starting the 5th grade in Japanese school.  He's just one level behind Joseph in swimming lessons.  He enjoys playing board games and initiating family activities, like a play or puppet show.

Elijah Stephen

Photo:  Fall 2007

Elijah will soon start the 3rd grade.  He loves to draw and pays a lot of attention to details that other people don't seem to notice.

Hannah Elizabeth

Photo:  Fall 2007

Hannah will graduate from Takadate Kindergarten in March of 2008, and start the 1st grade in April.  In kindergarten she's learned a lot of Japanese songs and likes to sing them as she plays around the house.

Esther Lydia

Photo:  Fall 2007 

Esther is almost always happy and loving.  She likes to read and do simple math.  She enjoys playing with her little brother, Daniel.  One of their favorite things to get out is the "dress up box."  They like to try on silly hats and outfits.

Daniel James

Photo:  Fall 2007

Daniel is a happy baby.  He's 2 years old.  He loves to play with his big brothers and sisters. He doesn't talk a lot yet, but he likes to hum and sing.  His favorite song right now is Jesus Loves Me.  He brightens up whenever he hears it, and chimes in with the last word in each line.