Malcolm McLean runs his own busy marketing business. His wife Dariane works as a support advocate for individuals with disabilities. She just completed a postgraduate honours year studying psychology, and next year she will start on her Masters’ degree.
That may be enough to keep most couples very busy. But not the McLeans. Since 2006 they have also served as volunteers for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, supporting individuals who are recovering from addictions.
Recently they made contact with Marsh Poutu, a Latter-day Saint leader from Southern New South Wales. They had read about the work he has been doing visiting and supporting inmates at Wagga Wagga’s Junee Prison, and they felt to offer their support.
That contact led the three of them to Junee Prison earlier this month. Poutu and the Mcleans waited in the prison’s conference room. Eleven male prisoners walked in and took their seats. Everyone became acquainted, and Elder and Sister McLean - as Latter-day Saint missionary couples are called - explained what was about to happen.
The men had all volunteered to take part in the addiction recovery program. Some in the room were Mormon; some were members of other faiths.
Based on Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12 Steps, this program has been developed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mormons who have recovered or who are recovering from addictions testify of the program’s effectiveness.
Its primary focus is each participant’s relationship with Jesus Christ, leading to a deeper understanding of His atonement, followed by repentance, forgiveness, and spiritual healing. Those of other faiths are also welcome to participate in and benefit from the program.
Back in the prison’s conference room, each of the participants took turns reading the 12 Steps and then a paragraph each from the first step, “Honesty.” This step begins with the key principle: “Admit that you, of yourself, are powerless to overcome your addictions, and that your life has become unmanageable.”
According to Elder McLean, “As each word was read, the emotion and humility was apparent from each of the participants. We could see that the impact of the message was touching fertile soil.”
“When it came to sharing time, there was only a small pause before they started to open up,” he said. “All who participated indicated that they found the message confronting, but they appreciated that message and felt it would be a turning point for them.”
Elder McLean says that he and his wife both felt that the Lord was touching all those present that day. “Most significantly,” he said, “some expressed that they now felt they had hope for sustained recovery that would give them the security they desired when they left the prison and faced life’s challenges.”
The McLeans and other volunteers in Australia and in other countries continue to offer addiction recovery meetings to any individuals, in prisons and other places, who wish to participate. To learn more about the addiction recovery program, individuals can talk with their local Latter-day Saint bishop or go to Church websites, here or here.
It’s a beginning for these eleven men and their individual recoveries. But they and others in similar situations the world over are not alone. Latter-day Saint volunteers like Marsh Poutu and the McLeans, and many more like them around the world -as well as recovery facilitators leading similar programs sponsored by other faiths and charities are standing by to quietly listen, share, and encourage.
