Addiction Recovery Program Training

Sister Annette and Elder Kirk Lillrose of Kalamazoo, MI, working with our own Sister Debbie and Elder Ed Greenwald, hosted a training meeting yesterday for priesthood leaders and Addiction Recovery Program workers from the Pittsburgh Stakes and Brookville District. A few highlights follow:

Bro. Douglas LeCheminant of LDS Family Services reported that in 2009 there will be some 51,000 ARP meetings held worldwide, most in the U.S., with some 386,000 in attendance. The number of meetings has increased by 350% in five years.

The June 2009 edition of The Ensign included an excellent article explaining the Addiction Recovery Program by Lia McClanahan, "Addiction Recovery: Healing One Step at a Time."

Dr. Donald L. Hilton, Jr., a neurosurgeon, gave an outstanding presentation on redeeming the soul. Repentance and recovery work together to restore the soul: repentance heals the spirit, while recovery heals the body. Addiction is "a pathological but powerful form of learning." Recover is difficult because addiction resents the brain's powerful pleasure "thermostat" and damages the frontal area of the brain, where judgment occurs.

Elder Lillrose gave instruction for priesthood leaders. Prospective ARP workers should sit through a complete 12-week cycle before they are called. The most effective groups do not strive to save souls by teaching; rather they focus on giving hope for recovery through sharing of personal experiences. A priesthood leader assigned by the stake president in each stake—either a member of the stake presidency or a high councilor—should oversee the program and keep the stake president informed.

There is much we can do in PA to improve our performance, but we were counseled simply, "Do your best, and leave the rest to the Lord."

The Arbor - November 2009

The leading article in the November issue of The Arbor is "Climbing over Step Four"—"Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourself."  Patty O. tells how she found the strength to accomplish that.

Families Supporting Adoption Area Conference

My daughter Amy and I attended the North America Northeast Area conference of Families Supporting Adoption.  We loved it.  We attended sessions on advocating for adoption, open communication between birth mothers and adopting couples, and financing adoption.  (The Church subsidizes adoptions done through LDS Family Services.)

One of the highlights of the conference was a panel of birth mothers, who told their unique stories.  Every one of the four women on the panel bore testimony of how God had supported them in making the difficult decision of placing their child for adoption and guided them to the couple that was right for their child.  They knew God had been involved, and they had no regrets for the decision they had made—pretty heroic.

We came home thinking that we would benefit greatly from establishing a sub-chapter of Families Supporting Adoption in Pittsburgh.

The Arbor - October 2009

Two articles in the October 2009 edition of The Arbor focus on how the Atonement help us to stay in the light, and how the Addiction Recovery Program can help us learn about and take advantage of the Atonement.

Divorce?

In the hopes of providing sound guidance in trying times, Brigham Young University professor of Family Life Alan Hawkins and divorce attorney Tamara Fackrell have teamed up to write “Should I Keep Trying to Work it Out? A Guidebook for Individuals and Couples at the Crossroads of Divorce.”

Extreme Job Searches

Have you ever been desperate enough to hang a signboard around your neck to advertise that you're looking for a job? You can read about the outcomes of such extreme job search approaches in Joann Lublin's "Lessons of Extreme Job-Hunting"and Dana Mattioloi's "Brave or Brazen? Bold Tactics Don't Always Get the Job" in the September 1 edition of The Wall Street Journal.
Bottom line? "Recruiters say the best ways to stand out don't change with the unemployment rate: network, craft a well-written resume and cover letter, and be prepared during interviews."

The Arbor - August and September 2009

In the August issue of The Arbor Jessica Wesel explains why the Addiction Recovery Program can be called the Atonement Recovery Program.  The September issue includes testimonies on choice and Step 3, Trust in God.