Bethany Reformed Church
705 Cajon Street, Redlands CA 92373 (909)793-1966
Getting to Know…
The Jalving Jr. Family
It was the third day in a row of 80 degree weather and the pool was open for the first time this year! Yea!!! Four happy faces smiled at me from the pool as I sat on the patio enjoying a lazy Saturday afternoon talking with Kelly and Don. Join us, there’s plenty of lemonade to go around.
Kelly was born in Long Beach, California and was greeted by her older sister Sheri and her brother Chris. They moved to Hawaiian Gardens when she was four and by age eight they were living in La Mirada where she resided until she was 19. Her mom, Patricia Cobb, was a warehouse worker and her step-dad, Jim, was a motorcycle mechanic; they are both now retired. Kelly loved gymnastics, roller-skating and most any sport; she still enjoys them! She worked for a while at a pizza place and for an RV dealer and attended Cypress College. Kelly worked for Bank of America Mortgage Services for 14 years.
Don and Frieda Jalving, members of Bethany, welcomed a new baby boy into their family, Don Jr. Mark, his older brother, now had a buddy to play with. Redlands was their home for many years with Don Sr. working at several different banks. Frieda also worked outside the home; J.C. Penney’s, Buffums Department Store, Smith’s Jewelry Store and for a lumber yard. When Don Jr. was in the 6th grade the family moved to Claremont and later on to Visalia for his 9th thru 11th grades. They returned to Redlands for his senior year. Football, choir and guitar took up Don’s time as a teen as did working at a dairy painting fences and mowing lawns, working for Winchell’s Doughnuts, for an ambulance company, at Redlands Camera, and for one season for the San Bernardino County Department of Forestry. Don attended Crafton and Chaffey Colleges as well as many specialized classes for his career.
Now, I know that you’re waiting to find out how they met so here’s the short version: Don eventually became a firefighter. (He is now a Captain of the fire station at the John Wayne Airport in Orange County). His fire station was in charge of Earthquake Preparedness Day in Cypress where a certain young lady happened to be in charge of the Bank of America’s earthquake preparedness. Well, let’s just say that when their eyes met the sparks flew! (Good thing he’s a firefighter!) By years end they had become Mr. and Mrs.; now nine years later their love still burns brightly.
Three reasons their love continues to grow is their family: DJ, Natalie and Garrit. DJ, Don’s son by a previous marriage, is now 16 years old and has been driving for the past 8 months. DJ attends ACA and is in the 11th grade. He’s a great student with a 3.6 GPA and is taking culinary arts classes and hopes to take a forensics class and graphic design class next year. Music is his first love; this is his third year in the drum line, he plays bass and he teaches guitar. He and his brother James (an insane drummer!) and his friend Landon have a band, Stonewell, which plays only instrumentals and has played for house parties and youth groups. Many upcoming events are scheduled. They will record a CD this month. The bands name comes from John 4:13-14. He sees himself always involved in music, perhaps full time, but he is also looking at a career in law enforcement, the military or as a firefighter.
Natalie and Garrit are four-and-a-half-year-old twins. While I was there they were swimming around like tadpoles and looked a bit like little prunes after being in the water so long. They attend Redlands Christian Preschool where Natalie loves playing on the swings and singing at Chapel. At the evening meal it’s Natalie who usually says the prayer. She likes to listen to the devotions that they read together at night and says they teach her how to share. Saturday was a special one for Natalie as she had been victorious in not one contest but two that day. She had won both the jump rope and hula hoop contests at the YMCA! Way to go Natalie! The quieter of the two, Garrit told me he enjoys playing on the playground and coloring. Garrit likes Children in Worship and learning songs and how to color from Ms. Harriet. He says he liked the David and Goliath movie, too. In his free time Garrit likes to ride his bike and play with his Transformers.
Exercising at the YMCA, woodworking, playing guitar and golfing are all activities that Don enjoys. He would like to retire in three years and then Kelly would go back to work full-time. Kelly agrees and says she enjoys concerts, YMCA classes and shopping. Both of them would like to travel to Italy and Australia and hope to go to Hawaii for their 10th anniversary.
It’s important to Kelly and Don that their children live a Christ-centered life, that they are grounded and spiritual children. To that end, they have age-appropriate devotions every night with the twins. Kelly says we need to be grateful for our blessings because so many others have so little. Don believes that we must trust the Lord no matter what happens even when we can’t understand. One of their favorite Bible verses is found in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” They like being involved in the life of the church. Don feels his gifts are as a hard worker with a servant’s heart. Kelly is currently on the board of MOPS and is good at multi-tasking and is a great organizer. Don and Kelly love the closeness of our Bethany family, that we’re all brothers and sisters in Christ. Brother Don, sister Kelly, we’re blessed that you and your family are a part of the Bethany family.
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