(Minghui.org) I was fortunate enough to come across Falun Dafa in 2000, and I remember not being able to contain my excitement at the time. I kept a copy of Zhuan Falun on my nightstand so that I could read it first thing in the morning. I also carried the book with me wherever I went. I tried to read the book with a mind as pure as that of a newborn baby. I felt the itch to do the exercises as soon as I heard the exercise music. In a nutshell, everything of me was totally basked in the Fa.
I was 15 back then. I wanted to do something for Dafa and for the cultivation practice, as I couldn't find the words to express how I felt about Dafa in my heart.
I had always wondered where we come from and where we are destined to go. I also wanted to know where gods came from and how the world and the universe were formed. All these questions lingered in my mind without answers until the day I finished reading Zhuan Falun. To this day, I am still learning more and more from the book.
My heart is filled with immense gratitude to Master whenever I recall the first time that I saw Zhuan Falun in Istanbul. Master has arranged the best for us, and all we need to do is to follow Master and walk our cultivation path well. Dafa has fundamentally changed me and enlarged my capacity. Dafa taught me to be a good person that follows the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to elevate our xinxing.
I cannot live without Dafa. I'd been waiting for Dafa in my numerous lifetimes. My birthday, May 13, now carries a more significant meaning for me. I participate in Dafa activities on May 13 every year to tell more people about Dafa.
I worked for seven years at the same company before I got married and quit my job. As soon as I started in 2009, I knew I had come to the right place. I told everyone in the company about Falun Dafa and its persecution in China. When Shen Yun performed in Istanbul in 2010, my boss bought tickets for all of us employees. He also allowed me time off to attend the New York Fa Conference in 2010 even though I had just started working. Actually, he always approved my requests for time off whenever I needed to attend Dafa activities. My colleagues all knew I was a Falun Dafa cultivator, and they were very supportive of me.
One day, I hurt my eye while organizing my cupboard at home. I went to work as usual the next day. My colleagues urged me to see a doctor when they noticed my eye was very red and watery. I told them I'd be fine.
That night, my parents urged me to use some eye drops, and I replied my eye would heal itself. Then I went to another room to read Zhuan Falun. In just a few minutes, my eye was no longer painful or teary.
When I came out of the room, my parents were shocked to see that my eye had recovered in such a short period of time. When I returned to work the next morning, one colleague couldn't help but marvel at my quick recovery. I again told everyone that my eye was fine all thanks to my practice of Falun Dafa.
Every practitioner goes through different tribulations and has different understandings of things. But we are all precious in the eyes of Master. Sometimes we stumble along the way, but no storm is perpetual. The most important thing is that we are able to pick ourselves up and resume our cultivation journey. Compassionate Master does not want to leave anyone behind. If we hold to our faith in Master and Dafa and pass through the storms, we'd be like plum blossoms weathering the harshest winter.
I feel very fortunate to have become a Falun Dafa practitioner. I thank Master with all of my heart for his compassionate salvation. I am grateful to Master for giving me wisdom and guiding my cultivation. I am deeply indebted to what Master has done and suffered for me.