The Arbor - January 2013

The January issue of the Arbor describes what it's like to attend a face-to-face Addiction Recovery Program meeting.  It lists the face-to-face and telephone call-in meetings available in western PA and MI.

The editor has a request: "Please share with us your experience in working the Twelve Steps by emailing it to lund@juno.com.  It does not have to be long; just a few sentences is okay."

The Arbor - December 2012

Read Sister Annette Lillrose's awesome parable of the little ram whose sister taught him to nurse, and its application to Step 12 of the Addiction Recovery Program, "To Lead Another," in the December issue of the Arbor.  You can also find the latest information on face-to-face and telephone meetings, for you or someone you love.

The Arbor - November 2012

The November 2012 issue of the Arbor focuses on personal revelation.

Over the course of attending group meetings I have learned there are many ways the Lord sends His revelation besides the traditional prayer, scriptures or voice we may hear in our mind. For some it's in the words of another, from a good book we are reading, in a priesthood blessing, a Sunday school class we’re attending, an article from the Ensign or other good magazine, or a feeling in our heart.

It also includes the most recent information on phone-in and face-to-face Addiction Recovery Program meetings in the region served by the Detroit agency of LDS Family Services.

The Arbor - October 2012

The October 2012 issue of the Arbor focuses on maintaining the changes that led to sobriety.  Also see a current list of face-to-face and call-in Addiction Recover Program meetings.

The Arbor - September 2012

The September issue of the Arbor focuses on restitution—asking forgiveness and making amends.  It also includes the latest list of call-in and face-to-face Addiction Recovery Program and family support meetings in our area.

The Arbor - August 2012

The August issue of The Arbor focuses on making restitution and seeking forgiveness.  Also find current times and phone numbers for call-in meetings, and times and places of face-to-face meetings.

The Arbor - July 2012

The Arbor for July focuses on step 7: Humbly ask Heavenly Father to remove your shortcomings.  It also has the most current list of meetings, and it announces the debut of the Church's new Web site for the Addiction Recovery Program, at http://arp.lds.org.  Check it out!

The Arbor - June 2012

The June issue of The Arbor focuses on step 6, a change of heart.  One contributor writes,
"I began to see that in truth, I have always held back from turning everything over to Christ and becoming one of His followers. . . .Now I understand that being ready to have God remove my character weakness is my willingness to do things His way."  The issue also includes information on call-in and face-to-face meetings for pornography addiction (men only), other addictions, and family support (some for women only).

The Arbor - May 2012

Step Five is about stepping out of the shadows into the light of truth and getting rid of those things that bring us pain. Learn more in the May 2012 issue of The Arbor.  Also see the latest list of Addiction Recovery and Family Support meetings, both phone-in and face-to-face.

New Detroit MI LDS Family Services Web Site

The Detroit Michigan Agency of LDS Family Services has launched a new Web site to help people in the area they serve—in Michigan, western Pennsylvania, and parts of New York, West Virginia and Ohio—better connect with the services they offer.

Features of the site include profiles of the professional staff, information on counseling and addiction recovery and support groups of various kinds, and links to related Church Web sites.  As time goes on we can expect the site to add information and become increasingly useful.

The Arbor - April 2012 - New Church Web Site

The April Arbor focuses on Step 4, taking of a searching moral inventory, and describes the blessings of this step in repentance.

This issue announces the Church's new Web site for the Addiction Recovery Program, which is scheduled to publish on April 17.  In connection with the new Web site the Church has invited those who wish to share your stories of overcoming addiction through Christ's healing power to contribute your stories.

If you missed seeing KSL's 12 Steps: The Road to Recovery between sessions of general conference it is available on line.

As always, this edition of The Arbor includes telephone call-in information, dates, times and places for Addiction Recovery Program and Family Support groups.

The Arbor - March 2012

The March 2012 issue of The Arbor focuses on trust in God, step 3 in the Addiction Recovery Program. "Once I came to the understanding that I didn’t need to be perfect, came to the understanding that if I was willing to do the very best that I could each day, came to the understanding that my Savior had suffered and died for me, I then understood that the atonement could heal me and that His grace was sufficient for me."  In addition, as always, the issue includes a current list of face-to-face Addiction Recovery Program and Family Support Program meetings, for men, women and mixed groups.

SSI Rules

It's important to know special Supplemental Security Income (SSI) rules that can help a person keep some SSI payments and Medicaid while working.  The rules work this way:

• The amount of your SSI is based on your other income, including money earned.
• If your income gets too high to get an SSI check, you may be able to keep your Medicaid as long as you need it. If your income goes down later, you may not have to file a new SSI application to get checks started again.
• Even if your income gets high enough to stop your Medicaid, you may be able to get it again if your income goes down later. In many states you may not have to file a separate Medicaid application to get Medicaid started again.

Details are at www.socialsecurity.gov/SSIrules/ or call 1-800-722-1213 or 1-866-770-2965.

The Arbor - February 2012

The February 2012 issue of The Arbor focuses on hope—"Come to believe that the power of God can restore you to complete spiritual health."  Listen to the voice of hope in this issue of The Arbor, which continues the new pattern of focusing each month on successive steps of recovery.

Read also about new administrative materials and procedures for the Addiction Recovery Program and Family Support Groups.

Also find the latest list of face-to-face and telephone meetings of all kinds. 

Counseling and Mental Health Directory

The stake mental health directory includes names and contact numbers for part-time LDS Family Services therapists, other LDS therapists in the Pittsburgh area, therapists who are not members of the Church who are acquainted with and supportive of Church standards and teachings, and a list of organizations and Web sites with mental health resources that may be helpful to bishops, branch presidents, Relief Society leaders Melchizedek Priesthood leaders, and others with pastoral responsibilities for the Saints of Pittsburgh.

The Arbor - January 2012

The January 2012 edition of the Arbor features step 1, Honesty, of the Addiction Recovery Program's twelve steps: "Admit that you, of yourself, are powerless to overcome your addictions and that your life has become unmanageable."

Beginning with this month each edition of the Arbor will focus on one of the twelve steps, in succession, so that by the end of the year the Arbor will have featured each of the twelve steps to recovery.

The Arbor also gives days and times of face-to-face and telephone Addiction Recovery and Family Support meetings.  Some telephone meetings are for women only, others for men only.  A person may call in to a telephone meeting and remain anonymous, while still benefiting from participation.

Getting the most out of a job fair

A short article from MCT Information Services in the January 12 edition of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review listed a number of Web sites that give advice on how to make the most of a job fair:

Bankrate.com

The Career Place

EmploymentGuide.com

Jobs & Careers

National Career Fairs

And of course, though not listed in the article, there's ldsjobs.org.