(Minghui.org) The following are some experiences from some of the practitioners in our village. Having seen the goodness of Falun Dafa, they have firmly believed in Dafa throughout the persecution.
Dafa Spread by Word of Mouth
Practitioner A, who is 65 years old now, still gets excited when she recalls how she started practicing Falun Dafa:
"Before I started to practice, I had serious arthritis and back pain. When I was sick, my legs swelled and I could not walk. I wept every day holding my thighs. The pain in my back was piercing. I could neither sit nor lie down. I had to kneel on my bed with my face down, to get any relief.
"In 1997, I went to visit my brother who lived in another city. He introduced me to Falun Gong. He said his health completely recovered after practicing for over a month, so he suggested that I give it a try. After hearing that it could cure disease, I immediately started to learn the exercises. It was miraculous. Although I am just a farmer with a limited education, I learned all the movements within four hours. The next morning, I took took a copy of Zhuan Falun home and finished reading it at once. I saw that it could teach one to be a better person and how to cultivate the mind and body.
"I immediately told Old Liu, my neighbor, what had happened. He had suffered from thrombosis for years. So four of us from two families started to practice Falun Gong. After about ten days, every one of us experienced miracles. My lower back and leg problems were gone. Old Liu's thrombosis was healed. He threw away his cane. He could straighten his arms and had enough strength in his legs to walk. We all burst into tears because we experienced the happiness of being truly healthy. Everyone in our village witnessed the changes. More and more came to learn Falun Gong. Eventually more than 40 people in our village joined the practice, about one quarter of the village.
"At that time we watched Master's lecture videos every night, followed by the exercise teachings. In time, about 30 to 40 people from nearby villages joined us. We studied and memorized the Fa at night, and got up early in the morning to do the exercises. It did not interfere with our farm work at all. We were all diligent. Miracles occurred frequently. One female practitioner had a scar from a disease she had as an infant. The scar got larger as she grew older. People laughed at her, so her family took her to hospitals in big cities for treatment. It was not effective, and she even developed severe facial acne. She felt so embarrassed that she suffered great mental stress. After she began practicing Falun Dafa in 1996, the scar and acne disappeared. She was so thrilled that she could not help crying."
Moral Improvements
All six people in Practitioner B's family practice Falun Dafa, and their home became a group Fa-study site for the other practitioners in the village. One day in the fall of 1996, when B's parents-in-law were preserving pickles at home, fire from the stove spread to the bed cover. Her father-in-law saw the smoke and tried to get help from the neighbors, but nobody was at home. The fire started to spread to cabinets and curtains, getting close to a paper canopy. Oddly, the fire did not go towards the canopy, but rolled downwards. Her mother-in-law doused the fire with a pot of water. Such a big fire was put out instantly. The whole family was so grateful for their Master's protection that they were determined to be more diligent in cultivation.
With diligent Fa study and cultivation of our hearts, every practitioner changed dramatically in the way they viewed their lives. They lived according to Dafa and cultivated their minds. Their family conflicts were gone, they returned found money to the owners, and they always helped others. The culture of the whole village changed. The moral improvement of every practitioner demonstrated the majestic qualities of Dafa.
Before Practitioner C started cultivation, she was addicted to games like poker and Mahjong. Once she started to play, she would forget her husband and child. She and her husband fought and cursed each other constantly. Their glass window had to be replaced again and again. Sometimes they ran out of money and would use just a curtain to cover the window. They lived like this for more than ten years.
In 1996, when one of their neighbors played Master's lecture video, C came for a visit. The more she listened, the more she was drawn it. She felt that Master was like a family member. From then on, she learned how to be a good person and understood the meaning of life. She gave up gambling and changed her lifestyle. Her improvement influenced her husband, who began practicing later on. Seeing the couple living happily together as cultivators, the villagers were all amazed. They said: “Your Master is so powerful!”
In 1997, three practitioners from our village went to a factory as temporary workers. They found 450 yuan at work. They would not take the money, but since they could not find the owner, they gave it to the manager of the factory. The manager stared at them and said, “Unbelievable. Nowadays who would refuse to take found money?” The practitioners told the manager that they thought of others first because they practiced Falun Dafa. Some electronic equipment in the factory was stolen. When the police came to investigate, the manager told the police, “These three people are Falun Gong practitioners. They wouldn't even take money that they found, so they would never steal. You do not need to check them.”
Later, one of these practitioners found a stack of money close to our village on his way home. He asked his daughter at home to write a sign with his phone number, asking the owner of the money to get in touch with him, then placed the sign on the roadside. At dinner time, two brothers from a nearby village came. They told about how they lost the money and how much was there. The practitioner returned all the money to them. The owners said gratefully, “At home, after I realized I had lost the money, I was so angry that I tore my pants and burned them. Then my younger brother came home and told me about the sign. I knew the money must have been found by a Falun Gong practitioner. Nowadays, only Falun Gong practitioners are good people.”
Another practitioner who has a family business found out once that the delivery man charged him 140 yuan less than he should have. He immediately called the delivery man and told him to charge it to him next time they came to deliver. This is the basic moral standard for practitioners. But to ordinary people, it seems very noble.
The streets in our village got so muddy during rainy seasons that cars could not get through. It was a big problem. In 2010, all the practitioners in our village sat down and discussed the issue. We decided to rebuild the streets to benefit everyone. Practitioners took full responsibility and did not collect any money from other villagers.
More than 20 practitioners used their own resources and worked full time for three days. They covered the major roads and cross streets with sand and installed drainage pipes. It saved more than 2,000 yuan for the villagers. Inspired by them, some non-practitioners also joined in the work. Seeing the repaired roads, everyone agreed, “Falun Gong practitioners are indeed noble.” When people from other villages came to visit they said, “None of the villages around here are as good as yours. You have good people and good roads. Whenever people have difficulties, others help without thinking about loss or gain.”
In the winter of 2000, a big snow blocked about a half a mile of the road at the east side of our village. There was more than a foot of snow. In some areas, it was three feet deep. All the traffic stopped and no one could get by. Several practitioners decided to clear away the snow. The next day, bus drivers came and said they were willing to pay us for helping clean up the snow. We told him, “We will do it for free, because we should always think of others.” It took only one day for more than 20 practitioners to clear away all the snow. While doing so, we wrote “Falun Dafa is Good!” and “Truth-Compassion-Tolerance is Good!” on the big snow banks alongside the road.
Resisting the Persecution
After the cruel persecution of Falun Gong started in 1999, practitioners in our village were not scared. More than 20 practitioners went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. We also clarified the truth with letters, flyers, and banners.
When our practitioners went to Beijing to appeal for Dafa, we slept outdoors since it was hard to find a place to stay. Later, in the truth-clarification program “Stories for the Future,” we saw footage of practitioners from our village sleeping under plastic sheets. It was recorded by an Australian reporter. At that time, a practitioner from Beijing gave us a Dafa book. We carefully hid it so that the police could not find it, and brought it back home.
Practitioner D encountered a lot of interference from his family after the persecution started. More than 20 relatives came to his home and urged him to give up the practice. They even asked his wife to burn his Dafa books. Practitioner D firmly refused. At that time, CCP officials constantly called practitioners to their conference room for meetings to try to "reform" us. Seeing that we refused to give up our belief, the officials humiliated us by saying: “Look at you! You are all penniless.” The persecution caused our financial difficulties, yet the CCP claimed that Dafa made us poor. Practitioners enlightened to the fact that we should deny the persecution, including the financial persecution. Once we realized this, things changed naturally, and our lives improved dramatically.
In recent years, practitioners in our village built seven new houses and remodeled four old houses. We have eight agricultural motor vehicles. Our annual income is more than 10,000 yuan per person per year. A practitioner bought a small agricultural motor vehicle to do some small business. Because this practitioner is honest and fair, villagers trusted him, and his business and his financial situation improved. Now he uses a pickup. The villagers said, “Look at these Falun Gong practitioners, you have to admire them. Whatever they do, they always do well and are profitable.” The practitioner realized that all of it was given by Master, and we should use these resources to clarify the truth and bring the beauty of Dafa to others.
In our village, more than 20 Falun Gong practitioners were arrested. Among them, 11 were detained in brainwashing classes, eight were detained, seven were detained in a detention center, nine were taken to labor camps, three became homeless to avoid further persecution, and three died from persecution. Although two people gave up the practice, more than 30 practitioners firmly held to their belief.
Saving People with Strong Righteous Thoughts
During the Dragon Festival in 2003, practitioners in our county decided to hang the banners “Falun Dafa is good” and “Truth-Compassion-Forbearance is good” at all the tourist spots in the county. We were in charge of a tourist spot near our village. The male practitioners went to the mountain, while female practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts at home.
At around 8 p.m., we arrived the place. First, we hung the banners on big trees at the entrance. Then we went to the mountain, hanging more than 80 banners throughout the place. It was dark and the roads were steep, which was quite dangerous. Practitioners held hands and moved little by little down the hill. Finally we came back safely. Then a practitioner said, “It would be difficult for people to come down during the day. However, we hung the banners at night and got down safely.” We all experienced the miracle of Falun Dafa.
Through Fa study, we realized that doing the three things and saving more people is the historical mission of practitioners. No matter how evil the authorities are and how busy we are, we continue to study the Fa, send forth righteous thoughts, and clarify the truth. So far, 98% of the people in our village have quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Basically everyone knows the truth and positively recognizes Dafa. Recently, three more people joined the practice. In 2011, several practitioners found udumbara flowers, tiny flowers that blossom only once every 3000 years, at their homes. They were on a door, a stone sink, and a TV antenna.
Practitioner E's neighbor was a member of the CCP. He hated Falun Gong. He constantly insulted Master and Dafa, and cursed practitioners. After the persecution started, he even told local police, “Arrest all of them. Make them give up the practice.” But E thought, “We are neighbors. According the Fa, we must have a predestined relationship. He is probably not an ordinary being either. I must save him.” For several years, she and several other practitioners clarified the truth to him, but he always refused to listen.
In 2011, he wanted to find a job away from the village. He needed childcare for his grandson, so he asked E for help. E's husband said, “It would be difficult to take care of this child, and we are already responsible for the fish pond at the west side of the village. It is too much responsibility.” E said, “We'll manage. It is important to save this person.”
E prepared meals for the child every day, and supervised his homework. After several days, the neighbor came back and saw that his grandson was in good hands, so he was very grateful. When he left for work again, he asked E to help keep his savings. He said, “I will not worry about my money when it is with you.” E used her actions to prove the beauty of Dafa and opened the heart of her neighbor. At the end of 2011, when E talked to him about Falun Gong again and asked him to quit the CCP, he agreed easily. He even asked to watch the programs on New Tang Dynasty TV.
Another miracle occurred when Practitioner F in our village was distributing truth-clarification materials with practitioners from other places. She got lost in the dark. She said in her mind: “Master, please help me find the way home.” Instantly there was some light in front of her. F realized that it was light provided by Master. They followed the light and eventually found the way home. After they returned home, they were so excited they could barely fall asleep.
Practitioner G repairs home appliances. He went to talk to many families and gave them truth-clarification materials. When he installed satellite dishes for NTD television for people, he only charged 110 yuan for the cost of materials. He did not charge anything when installing it for his friends and relatives, considering it a gift. He thought that, although he spent money and labor, it was worth it to save people. So far he has already installed more than 50 satellite dishes, which greatly promoted NTD television.
In 2002, when the persecution was most severe, the evil CCP arrested practitioners everywhere. Practitioner H and his wife became homeless to avoid the persecution. They made a living by working for a family. At first, the employer did not trust them, but the way they lived by Truth-Compassion-Forbearance soon won the employer's trust. After a while, the employer's wife started to practice Falun Gong, which made all her diseases disappear. She was very grateful to the two practitioners. The practitioners said, “This is Master's compassion. You should thank Master.” Since then this couple was able to clarify the truth to more people. The employer hired lots of workers and the turnover rate was high. The couple did not miss any opportunity and clarified the truth to everyone there.
It is Master and the Fa that has strengthened us throughout the persecution. We are extremely grateful for Master's salvation. We will definitely do the three things well, so that we will be worthy of Master's compassionate salvation!
