(Minghui.org)
Millions of people have been helped in all kinds of ways by practicing Falun Gong. Many have felt renewed after living by the main principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
My family experienced amazing changes after my mother began to practice, and I'd like to share our story.
I'm a practitioner in the countryside of Hebei Province. I started to practice Falun Gong in 1997 when I was 9 years old.
A Life of Misery
At that time, my father had been bedridden for several years due to spinal and tailbone injuries. After his condition improved, my mother got sick and was bedridden. We were not only poor, but we also owed lots of money. Our relatives, including my grandparents, stayed away from us so we wouldn't borrow from them.
At the age of 9, I had to take care of my mother and 4-year-old brother. After getting up at before 5 a.m., I had to prepare breakfast, feed my mother and brother, help mother take her medicine, feed the pigs, and eat something myself before hurrying off to school. Even though I ran all the way to school, I was always late. My teachers criticized me and my classmates laughed at me. I lowered my head, but did not explain why or ask for help. I knew any explanation would bring more harsh criticism.
Because I could not afford the two-yuan book fee, the teacher made fun of me in front of the class saying my family was poor. I hated this world and often thought of committing suicide, but I didn't because I knew someone had to take care of my younger brother. Because her illness was deemed incurable, Mother had a bad temper. My father had a bad temper, too. I felt bad about our family and the burden I had to bear.
Mother Improves
When mother started to practice Falun Gong in 1997, I did not believe in it because I was taught atheism in school. Within several days, however, she was able to get out of bed, walk around, and go outdoors. She began smiling and was able to prepare meals, and everything was so delicious.
What happened to my mother really got my attention, and I wanted to give it a try. We listened to Master’s video lectures many times, and the teachings sank into my mind. My feelings of resentment and complaint decreased, and I wanted to be a better person following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
One day, an older student beat me up. I cried but did not fight back; nor did I think about revenge. That is how, with Mother's encouragement, I began to practice. We took turns reading Zhuan Falun. There were many Chinese characters that I did not know yet, but I was able to learn them instantly as I read the book. I was enlightened by many principles, and my heart became light. I no longer needed medicine. My relationships with other children improved and so did my grades. When I graduated from elementary school, I was the top student in my town and was admitted to the best middle school in the county. My life was happy and productive.
My Family Begins to Practice
My entire family later began to practice. My father's health and temper improved. He was also able to go to work and support the family. My mother became very healthy, and she could work on the farm with no problem. My younger brother's illnesses were gone, and he became more mature through the practice. Gradually our income improved. We not only paid off all our debts, we were also able to save.
My aunt started to practice after she witnessed the amazing changes in our family. Years before, she had a baby who was often sick and eventually died. My mother told her about Falun Gong, and she started to practice. Not only did her health improve, she had another baby who was very healthy. Her husband did not practice, but he really supported her. Once he was severely ill and the doctors told the family to prepare for his funeral. He did not listen and recited “Falun Dafa is good” every day. He soon recovered.
Supporting Mother and Opposing the Persecution
In the midst of the happiness that Falun Gong had brought us, the communist regime began to suppress it. On April 24, 1999, mother told us that she had to go to Beijing because many practitioners had been illegally arrested. She left me some money and reminded me to take care of my younger brother. Although my father was working in another city, my brother and I were not afraid, because we knew Mother had made the right decision.
Mother soon returned. We thought the problem was over, but it wasn't. The massive persecution started a couple of months later, on July 20. Mother was always busy reminding people how wonderful Falun Gong is. We couldn't understand why officials would stop us from practicing. From our own experience, we knew practicing Falun Gong greatly improves people, both morally and physically. Although the communist regime made up lies to defame Falun Gong, we knew nothing they said was true. Therefore, I fully supported my mother by helping with household chores and taking care of my brother. Then the staged Self-Immolation on Tiananmen Square happened. We absolutely didn't believe this either, because we learned from Falun Gong that committing suicide was sinful.
Mother was arrested many times, and she was often beaten badly. She also went on hunger strikes several times while she was detained. As a result of the abuse, my mom became very thin. As soon as she was released, she resumed doing the exercises and read Falun Gong books. Each time, she quickly recovered.
After Mother was arrested, my grandparents, uncles, and aunts were very afraid. I was confident that she would come back. Another time after she was arrested, I brought her some clothes. Many practitioners had stopped practicing due to the intense torture and brainwashing. To encourage her I put two of Master's articles in the clothes, hoping she would see them and remain determined.
Later, Mother did return. She was very weak after being tortured for a long time. She had lost hearing in both ears and her ankles were broken. She studied the Fa and did the exercises after returning home and recovered completely.
I am sharing our experiences to tell people that Falun Dafa is good and to help the persecution to end soon.
