(Minghui.org) Ever since I obtained the Fa in August 1996, I have been following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in every aspect of my life. After witnessing the positive changes in me, many people became convinced that Dafa is truly miraculous in improving health and elevating moral character. Some of them became cultivators while others have stood by me during the relentless persecution.
A few of my neighbors even talked a police officer out of trying to find me, while a business competitor of mine was happy even when he lost out to me and had to close his business. My own family enjoys prosperity and happiness because of my practice. The local folks have commented, “You won't find a better family in this town.”
I was 50 when I first heard about Dafa. At that time, I was plagued with all kinds of health problems and had almost lost all hope. A Falun Dafa practitioner from another city visited our town in August 1996 to spread the blessings of Dafa. She brought a copy of Zhuan Falun for us all to read. When told this was a very good practice and that I should read the book, I didn't think too much about it and agreed to borrow the book right away. My education was very limited, and I couldn't even recognize some of the words. Despite that, I was able to get the main idea and recognized that the book talked about many profound principles that I thought were very good.
I only got to keep the book for two days before I had to pass it on to a friend. I urged her to read it quickly, since everyone was only given a little time with it. She wasn't that interested, but I persuaded her to look at it before making a decision. She agreed and began to read it while she worked her vendor booth. One day it started to rain. She put the book down on her table and turned around to move her merchandise inside. After she was done, she remembered the book. When she rushed outside, she was surprised to see there was not a single drop of rain on the book. She told me what happened when I visited her later that day to check on her progress. She wondered, “It was truly miraculous. How come the rain didn't fall on the book?” This experience sealed her determination to practice Falun Gong.
The out-of-town practitioner spent one day teaching us the exercise movements. Back then the exercise videotape was not available yet, and we had to memorize everything in just one short day. This practitioner later brought us two more copies of Zhuan Falun and suggested we read the book together. Without hesitation, I opened my home to interested people for group Fa study.
In order for more people to learn about Falun Gong, we decided to do the exercises outdoors. My daughter, who also became a practitioner, gave us a boom box and an exercise music tape. My second son said he felt like he was in heaven listening to our exercise music. When my oldest son and daughter-in-law came to visit me, they commented, “Mom, you're much more energetic than before. You haven't asked us to buy you any medicine for a long time.” I replied, “You will never need to get me medicine ever again.” My youngest son wanted to recommend this practice to the mother of one of his classmates since she suffered from various illnesses.
Our Fa-promotion activities drew more and more people to join us. A middle school teacher got more than a dozen of his students to learn Falun Gong. Those kids became better behaved and improved their academic performance as a result. Their parents were very supportive of their practice.
The Town Workers' Union also provided space for us so we could use their conference room for group exercises on rainy days. Two people from the Town Party Committee also came to learn the exercises.
Everyone thought that Falun Gong was good, and, through word of mouth, one group after another came to learn the practice. The environment was very good and we shared experiences together and learned from each other. That's how Falun Gong spread throughout our entire town.
Ever since I became a practitioner 1996, I have abided by Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in every aspect of my life. I have always paid attention to every word and deed so that they reflect what a Dafa disciple should be.
After the Chinese Communist Party began to persecute Falun Gong in 1999, I worked hard to debunk the slanderous fabrications the regime attributed to this wonderful practice.
There was an amazing story published by China Economy Times on July 19, 1998, that I thought would be good to share with the local police. Titled “I Stood Up,” this report was about a homemaker, Xie Xiufen, from Handan City, Hebei Province, who had been paralyzed for 16 years but regained mobility after she began to practice Falun Gong. When I took 18 copies of this report to the police station, all the officers were eager to check it out. The next day I went again to look for the police chief to tell him how Dafa benefits society and does no harm. One officer commented, “The Fa-promotion person is here again.”
One day a police officer came looking for me, but he didn't know my exact apartment number. He saw a few of my neighbors chatting outside and asked them where I was. One neighbor challenged him, “What do you want her for? She became so much better after she became a practitioner. Do you know that she hadn't talked to me for years but began to greet me shortly after?” Another neighbor chimed in, “A lot of her illnesses disappeared, too.” They later told me how they talked the officer out of trying to find me.
My husband and I have a storefront and run a small grocery business. The next door neighbor was a young man in the same business. His wife worked with him. A non-practitioner, my husband sometimes got into arguments with the young man. I calmed him down by explaining karmic relationships and the principle that everything happens for a reason. I then went to apologize to the young man.
We strive to be a fair business that values customer service. As a result, our business got better and better and the young man had almost no customers. He ended up having to sell his store. Before he and his wife left for a different city to work, I went to say goodbye to them and asked them to remember that Dafa is good. Every time they came back to our town, they stopped by to visit me. The young man's mother shops at our store frequently and also referred a lot of her friends, citing our fair prices. I told her I probably would have followed suit and begun to charge much higher prices had I not practiced Dafa. It is Dafa that changed me.
One of my sons and his wife work in the county and seldom come home to visit. At first they didn't know much about what was really going on with the persecution, so they were scared and cautioned me to pay attention.
After their baby was born, my daughter-in-law came to stay with me for a month, so I could take care of her and the infant. Every morning I got up at 3:30 to practice the exercises. Then I went out shopping and came back to wash clothes and fix breakfast. After making sure my daughter-in-law and granddaughter were fine, I went to deliver lunch to my husband. I helped around in our store in the afternoon before returning at night to study the Fa at home. My daughter-in-law quietly observed everything and was amazed by my energy. After she returned to her own home, she often told people how good Falun Gong is. In her own words, “My mother-in-law practices Falun Gong. She gets up at 3:30 a.m. yet takes no naps. She is super energetic all day long and her illnesses are all gone. What the TV says about Falun Gong is all fabrications meant to deceive people.”
Our store closes very late, so many townsfolk pass by when they take walks around five in the evening. They often ask how old we are. When I tell them I was born in 1946 and my husband 1942, they can't believe it: “You work such long hours at your age, yet you look very healthy and seem to have plenty of energy. Your children all have good incomes, and your grandchildren get taken care of by their other grandparents, leaving you lots of time. You won't find a better, more fortunate family in this town. Why are you so blessed?”
I replied, “You all know that I practice Falun Gong. One person practices and the whole family benefits. It is Dafa that gives me blessings.”
They understood and commented, “We've been wondering about that. Your husband has two brothers, yet none of their families are as prosperous as yours. Now we know why.”
I thank Master for His compassionate salvation.