(Minghui.org) I was a tenured schoolteacher but was laid off by my school and local education bureau in 2000 because I would not give up my belief in Falun Dafa.
They gave me less than 200 yuan (about $25) per month for living expenses. At the time I had two children, one in high school and the other in college. My husband's monthly salary was only 400 yuan. As a result, we went through some significant financial difficulties.
In 2001 I was offered a teaching job at a private elementary school with the help of a former colleague. Before I started my new job, she reminded me again and again not to expose my status as a Falun Gong practitioner, otherwise I would be fired. I thought that as long as I follow the principles of Falun Dafa, they would all gradually accept me.
There were not many students, and most of the teachers worked part time. They usually left school immediately after class and no one cleaned the classrooms.
As a Dafa practitioner I considered others first. I went to work early and left school late. I worked diligently and treated the teachers and students well. I cleaned the classrooms and sometimes helped out in the dining hall.
The school owner's wife told my former colleague who helped me find this job, “What a great teacher you've introduced to us. She is so nice and an excellent teacher as well.”
When the school owner and principal discovered that I was a Falun Gong practitioner, I started telling them the facts about Falun Gong. They accepted what I said. They trusted me and appointed me as a head teacher.
I continued to tell other teachers and students the facts about Falun Gong. Most of them became very supportive.
The school owner said, “Falun Gong is so great. Do you know any other teachers who were laid off for practicing Falun Gong? I will hire them all.”
On March 5, 2002, a group of Falun Gong practitioners tapped into the Changchun TV station and broadcast two videos: “Self-immolation or Deception?” and “Falun Dafa around the World.”
Changchun is the capital of Jilin Province and the Chinese Communist Party was afraid of people knowing the truth. Local police soon launched another massive crackdown of Falun Gong practitioners.
The school principal said, “Just rest assured and keep on working here. If anyone dares to harass you, I will not allow it.”
The school owner's wife and her younger brother often praised me as a good teacher and Falun Gong practitioner. Her younger sister, who worked at the school dining hall, also said that I was a good role model.
I was arrested and detained in a forced labor camp in 2003. When I was released, the private school was closed.
One day I ran into the school owner. “I will hire you again if I run another private school in the future,” he said.
Their whole family quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Their relatives whom I had contact with also quit the CCP.
Through this experience, I became more aware of how important it is to practice genuine cultivation and discipline myself strictly by following the principles of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”
Below is another similar experience.
One snowy afternoon in the winter of 2013, I went out to tell people about Falun Gong. It was very chilly and few people were out. I decided to go to an underground supermarket to meet more people.
I successfully persuaded several people to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. At that point I saw a young man playing on his cell phone. He looked to be in his 20s and was wearing a checkered cotton shirt and a thin jacket. I tried to start a chat with him, “No wonder you are not afraid of the cold. You are so young.”
He remained expressionless and responded, “I am not cold.”
I started telling him the facts about Falun Gong, but he said that he didn't have time to listen to me.
I changed the topic. “Young man, do you have something on your mind?”
“I haven't had lunch yet,” he said.
“Why not?” I asked and he said he had no money.
I looked at my watch. It was approximately 3 p.m.
I thought of Master's words. As a practitioner, I must be good and kind to others.
I checked my wallet, found only 10 yuan, and gave it to him. “Take this money and go get some food.”
He refused to accept it. I thought he might feel embarrassed, so I told him to wait and I would get some food for him at the underground supermarket.
I came back with some buns and a bottle of water. He was waiting for me at the elevator. I gave him the food. He accepted it and ate it quickly.
We chatted while he was eating. He told me that his name was Li Xiaoguang from Heilongjiang Province. He worked here in a restaurant but had been fired.
He was looking for a new job and had no money for food and lodging. His friend went to a relative for help but was not sure if he could borrow some money. They were going to spend the night at a nearby hospital.
He continued to talk to me. “Auntie, you are such a nice person. I am so lucky to have met you, otherwise, I would have gone hungry today.”
When I returned home, I thought of the young man and was worried for him. He was wearing thin clothing and was not sure where to spend the night. I took from my closet some cotton outerwear and a thick sweater and decided to deliver them to the young man.
I also prepared 20 yuan for him so that he and his friend could purchase some food the following day.
It was dark when I arrived at the supermarket. Li Xiaoguang's friend was back, too. He was very excited and touched when he saw the clothes that I had brought them. He said, “Auntie, you are so nice.”
Li introduced me to his friend Xiao Ma from Henan Province. They put on the clothes and looked much warmer.
I asked Xiao Ma if his relatives had lent him any money. “No,” he said.
I gave them the money I had for them. Li refused to take it. He told his friend, “We cannot accept the auntie's money.”
I persuaded them to accept it. “Boys, I only gave you money for tomorrow's breakfast so that you would have the energy to look for new jobs.”
Li said to Xiao Ma, “This auntie is a Falun Gong practitioner. Falun Gong is not like what's shown on TV. Falun Gong is good. Just look at this auntie. How nice she is!”
I then persuaded Xiao Ma to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Li also persuaded him to quit the CCP. Xiao Ma finally agreed to quit the Youth League and Young Pioneers.
They expressed their thanks to me again and again. I told them to keep in mind “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance is good.”
Li held up his hands and shouted loudly, “Falun Dafa is good! Falun Dafa is good!”
After I bade farewell to them at the entrance of the supermarket, a middle-aged lady asked me, “Sister, are you really a Falun Gong practitioner?”
“Yes.”
She had overheard my conversation with the two young men. She sighed and said, “Nowadays there are so few people as good as you are.”
I took the opportunity to tell her the facts about Falun Gong, “Actually all Falun Gong practitioners are as good as me. Our Master teaches us to be nice and kind to everyone, and to always consider others first.”
She now knew the facts about Falun Gong and agreed to quit the Youth League. She said, “Someone had persuaded me to quit the CCP, but I didn't agree, after being deceived by the propaganda on TV. I had thought Falun Gong was not good. Today I witnessed what a Falun Gong practitioner was like. Falun Gong is really good. What's shown on TV is false.”
Several days ago a practitioner told me a story. One time she met a young man and told him the facts about Falun Gong. That young man said he already knew Falun Dafa was good. He also told the practitioner what he had experienced. He once lost his job, was penniless, had thin clothes, was cold and hungry. It was a Falun Gong auntie who purchased food for him and gave him warm clothing.
When everyone knows the facts about Falun Dafa, the evil lies will lose their effect and will no longer deceive anyone.