Q & A
PERSONAL

CONTENTS

How did God call you (Ron) to Japan?

Ron: When I was a little boy, I didn't want to be a missionary. I wanted to be a scientist. Science was my favorite subject in school. But when I was in the 5th grade, I went to a special revival meeting. At that meeting I knew God wanted me to commit my life to Him--not just to be a Christian, but to give up my own dreams and do whatever He wanted me to do. At that meeting, I told God that I would be anything He wanted me to be. I said that I would be a missionary if that's what He wanted.

After that, I still thought I would be a scientist, but little by little my feelings changed. When I was about 15 or 16 years old, I knew that I wanted to be a missionary more than a scientist. I began to pray that God would call me to be a missionary. Then one day I realized that God had already done that.

After high school I went to Bible college. I knew that I would be a missionary somewhere, but I didn't know where. One of my friends in Bible college went to Japan after he graduated. His name is Dennis. I used to read his letters and wonder where God would send me. When I finished Bible college, I went to Graduate School at the University of Texas. I studied about languages (linguistics) to prepare for the mission field.

One day a friend invited me to visit his church on Sunday evening. When I went there I was surprised. Dennis was the special speaker. He talked about Japan. When I heard him tell about the millions of people in Japan who have never heard about Jesus, my heart broke. All the way home I cried for Japan. I knew that God wanted me to go to Japan.

How did God call you (Debbie) to Japan?

Debbie: When I was 5 years old, a missionary lady came to my church. She talked about her work in a far away country. I listened very carefully to what she said. I thought, "Someday I want to go to another country and tell people about Jesus, too." I didn't know which country I wanted to go to. But, I thought it would be a country where I could help children who are very poor and sick.

When I was in high school, I met a girl from Japan named Yuko. She sat in the desk next to me. Yuko had a very hard time in America because she did not understand English. I became her good friend and helped her with her homework. One day I asked Yuko to come to church with me. I was surprised because she had never been in a church before. She didn't know anything about the Bible or about Jesus.

After I finished high school, I went to college and decided that I wanted to be a medical missionary. I studied very hard to become a pediatrician. I wanted to help sick children. I wanted to share Jesus' love with them.

The next summer, my family had a special guest in our home for one month. Her name was Naomi. She was from Japan. She reminded me of my friend Yuko. Naomi had never been to church or heard about Jesus either.

In 1989, I finished my first four years of college and was ready to go to medical school. But, I felt that God wanted me to wait a year. I needed money to go to medical school, so I decided to get a job for one year.

Guess where I got a job? In Japan! I went to Japan to teach English. During my New Year's vacation, I visited my friend Naomi. I met her Dad, Mom, sister, and brother. I was sad when I saw them worshipping idols. I knew God was not pleased. I wanted to tell them about the One True God, but I couldn't speak Japanese very well.

I taught English in Japan for three years, then I decided it was time to return to America and go to medical school so I could become a medical missionary. It was very hard to leave my Japanese friends. I wondered if I would ever see them again.

One day, after returning to America, I got a surprised telephone call from a missionary to Japan named Ron Galbreath. I was excited to meet him and talk about Japan. When I met Ron, I found out that he wasn't married. I knew in my heart that God brought us together at just the right time. I also knew that God didn't want me to be a doctor in a poor country, but that He called me to be a missionary in Japan where most people have never met a Christian or heard about Jesus.

What did you have to do to prepare yourselves to go (to the mission field)?

Ron: Preparing to be a missionary is a long process. First, I became a minister with the Assemblies of God. Then, I applied to my District (the Northwest District) for foreign missions appointment. The District gave me approval to apply to The Division of Foreign Missions (DFM) in Springfield, Missouri. The application to DFM included all sorts of paperwork, references, background checks, and psychological tests. After filling out all of these papers, I was invited for a "Home Interview" (actually, it was in a hotel in Portland, Oregon).

DFM approved my application and sent me a letter of invitation to the New Candidate Orientation. I went to Springfield, Missouri and learned about DFM and its workings. While I was in Springfield, I had an interview with the Foreign Missions Committee (FMC). After prayer, the FMC recommended my approval to the Foreign Missions Board.

About 2 weeks after New Candidate Orientation, I got a call from DFM saying that I had permission to start itinerating (raising support to go to the field). I was a "candidate missionary" until my budget was completely raised and I was on the plane to Japan. Then I officially became an "Appointed Missionary" with the Assemblies of God.

How were you sent to Japan?

We were sent to Japan by churches and individuals who have pledged to give monthly support toward our ministry here. Without the prayers and support of many people back home, we would not be able to do our work here.

Is being a missionary fun?

Debbie: Yes, it is fun to be doing what God has called me to do. I enjoy being a missionary in Japan and sharing Jesus with people who would never have an opportunity to hear that He loves them.

Was it easy for you to learn a new language?

No, learning a new language is never "easy." Japanese is an especially difficult language to master. Very few foreigners in Japan are able to read, write, and speak Japanese well. We are very thankful that God has helped us to learn Japanese so that we can do the work He's called us to do without a handicap.

Have you been missionaries in any other countries?

No, we haven't been missionaries in any other countries. It takes a long time to master a foreign language well enough to start a church and lead people to Christ. If we were to move to another country now, it would take us several years again before we would be able to do a meaningful work. We plan to stay I Japan and plant churches until we're too old to do it any more.

Do you ever get tired of rice, or is the rice good?

We like rice, but white rice like Japanese people eat is not very healthy. When we are with Japanese people we always eat rice with them. By the way, they NEVER put butter, salt, or soy sauce on their rice. They eat it plain, or with salty pickles called "tsukemono." When we are with just our immediate family, we eat brown rice or bake our own whole-wheat bread.

How do you get around town? Do you have a car?

We have a van provided by Speed-the-Light. It seats 8 people. We use it when we have to go out of town, or to give people rides to church (summer camps, district meetings, etc.) Streets are very narrow in Japan and it's hard to find a parking place, so around town we usually walk or ride bicycles.

Do you sleep in a bed?

No, we don't sleep in a bed. We always sleep on the floor on mats called "futon." Futon are really comfortable and, in the daytime, we can put them away in the closet. That way we can use the space for other things.

Do you like the food?

Yes. We especially like squid pancakes called "okonomiyaki." We sometimes eat funny things like fish heads, octopus, and seaweed, too.