Spring 2009

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The Promise Keeper

Every now and then people enter our lives who really look very ordinary, yet they do extraordinary things to help other people. Such a man entered my family’s lives in the summer of 2007. His name is Harlan Fierstine, the Area Fisheries Supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Walker, MN.

I am a grandmother of five beautiful grandchildren. Two of our grandsons were born without immune systems, and their life expectancies do not extend beyond their late teens/early twenties. They are amazing boys, who, more than anything, love the outdoors. Jordan is the oldest at age 12, and Dominic is the youngest at age 10.

While they have always known that they have had this condition, 2007 was the first year they really understood that it could mean that their lives may be very short. As you can imagine, it was a very difficult thing to learn for two boys so full of life. As a family, we have had many talks about this, and while we need to be realistic, we also work hard to remain optimistic. Miracles happen every day, and these boys have the benefit of many prayers from friends, family, and even strangers.

On a particularly difficult day for the boys, I asked them, “If you are healthy and able to go to college and have a career, what profession would you choose?” Without hesitation they both said “DNR Officers”. I said, “You know, I bet grandma could find a DNR Officer to sit with us for an hour or so and tell us what he or she does.” I made a promise to them that day that grandma would make this happen. They were so excited, so I contacted our local DNR Office. It didn’t take long at all to be passed from one person to another, only to be told at the end of the long line of people that it wasn’t really possible…the boys were under age, their office was short staffed, etc.

A few weeks later, on a Sunday afternoon, a DNR Officer appeared at the public landing on our lake. He looked like he was about 18, and I explained the situation to him. He handed me a business card with the name of Harlan Fierstine, told me Harlan was his Supervisor, and that he would talk to Harlan and see what they could do. He told me to call Harlan first thing Monday morning. I am ashamed to say my thoughts were, “Yah, sure. The old brush off. I know that one. Been there before.”

But, call Harlan I did, first thing Monday morning. He said, “Mrs. Adams, Andy relayed your request to us, and I know we can help you.” I replied, “The boys are so excited and would love to just spend an hour or so with one of your DNR Officers so they can learn a little bit about what you do.” He said, “It may take me a day or two to arrange something, but I will call you back within three days.”

Two days later, Harlan called back, and the boys’ lives were enriched tenfold. Harlan didn’t give the boys an hour in an office with a DNR Officer. He gave them a summer full of adventure that, for them, surely matched that of Huckleberry Finn.

Amazing DNR Officers called to see if the boys would like to work with them on specific projects. The boys helped pull lake nets with the DNR Officers and had a chance to really see, hold, and smell lake creatures. They helped set nets so that the DNR Officers could study aquatic life. They helped seine minnows. Harlan got the Park Rapids, MN DNR Office involved and the boys, along with their father, got to go goose banding – an experience that, to this day, is a favorite story for them to share and for us to hear. They get so animated telling their stories – they giggle, they mimic the geese – and each other, and a few times they even shed a few tears. (So much kindness is very humbling, even for young boys.) More than anything, they have been given a little bit of hope. I know this, because now they talk to me about “when we become DNR Officers”.

Harlan couldn’t change the outcome for the boys. Only God knows what is in store. But of one thing I am certain. God put Harlan Fierstine in our path. Harlan could have given us a hundred reasons why he couldn’t help us. Instead, he found a hundred ways to breathe new excitement into the boys. He could have sat the boys down in an office, and from behind a desk, talked to them about being a DNR Officer. Instead, he gave them the woods and the lakes and let them explore. He could have done the minimum, but he didn’t. He gave far more than we ever imagined, as did all the DNR Officers that worked with the boys that summer.

Yes, Harlan Fierstine looks to be an ordinary man. He’s of medium height, has glasses, and is getting a bit gray-haired. But, when the boys describe him in their stories, they speak about “the man with the big heart”, “the guy who made it all happen”. When this grandma speaks of him, I tell people about the gentle, amazing man that God put in our path – our promise keeper.

Kathy M. Adams
Backus, MN