(Clearwisdom.net) A group of six practitioners from various parts of Southeast Queensland drove between 12-14 hours after work on Friday evening to join four fairly new practitioners in Northeast Queensland, in order to support them in starting a new practice site in their hometown of Bowen. After diligently reading the books and practicing the exercises for three months, these two couples wanted to share Dafa with others in their community.

The Bowen practitioners were introduced to Falun Dafa via a small Dafa newspaper from a friend in their hometown. One of them had actually had a feeling that this friend would have "all the answers" for them. The information so attracted them that they visited the falundafa.org website, downloaded the books to read and began learning the exercises from the website's video.

Contact with Queensland practitioners followed a telephone call to a Sydney practitioner's phone number in the newspaper they had received. After e-mail contact, one of the Queensland practitioners recognized their keen interest, called them up, and invited the four of them to join practitioners at World Falun Dafa Day celebrations on May 13 at King George Square outside Brisbane's Town Hall.

These two couples drove all night to the Gold Coast (one hour south of Brisbane) to join practitioners for a crash course in refining their exercises, experience sharing and the spreading the Fa activities on the 13^th. During that weekend, the four went through many hours of talking, questioning and sharing with practitioners and amongst themselves before returning to Bowen to incorporate major changes into their lives.

Likewise, this last weekend, we intensively studied the Fa together, talked and shared while making paper lotus flowers. Saturday we all practiced the exercises in the Park, where we would introduce the exercises to the community the next morning. The location was excellent, being across the street from the local shopping mall and right next to the local Sunday markets. During the previous week, posters had been spread around town and a short ad about our activity appeared in Bowen's two newspapers.

People eagerly getting info	The site's new banner

On Sunday, a delightful time was shared with interested members from the local community in demonstrating the exercises, sharing the benefits of Falun Dafa as a total cultivation practice and clarifying the truth of the brutal persecution and suppression of practitioners in China. The six practitioners who had traveled up to Bowen had brought a new banner, a professionally made A-frame site sign, flyers, books, videos, CDs, banners, and other items to get the new site off to a good start. Over twenty people came to share -- a few chose to sit and watch with information in hand while most others joined in learning the exercises. Several had done Tai Chi and other practices before and were very interested. A mother and son have since said they would be back this next weekend while many others that had shown interest, but had been unable to make it, said that they will likely come in the future.

Learning the exercises	Peaceful meditation

In the few months since these four people began to practice Falun Dafa, amazing changes have taken place in their lives. What is most astounding is the fact that previously these four practitioners were the main drug dealers in Bowen. After coming to the Fa, diligently studying the books and doing the exercises, they stopped using drugs and alcohol themselves and stopped dealing drugs almost overnight. After sharing with practitioners over the World Falun Dafa Day weekend, these four young people truly realized the enormity and seriousness of cultivation and dumped thousands of dollars worth of drugs into the ocean after their return to Bowen. They are now helping others to also climb out of this dark pit into the light of Dafa. Their predestined relationship with the Fa has brought new hope to their lives and made them shining examples of virtuous behavior. Although drugs and alcohol are a major bane in society, Dafa has salvaged many lives from potential destruction, helping such people become better people and productive members of society.

After an encouraging weekend of sharing the Fa, the six practitioners again drove through the night on Sunday so that they could make it to work the next morning.