(Clearwisdom.net) John is a 19-year-old high school student from Norway. He lives in Sykkylven, a village with a population of 7,000. The village is located along a high mountain range, where there are snow-covered peaks, dazzling waterfalls, lush trees and grass, and an abundance of beautiful wildlife. Here, people can take their boats into a blue fjord, be among the scenic mountains and waters, and feel the tranquility and peace of their surroundings.
John is from Sykkylven, Norway.
September 2010, John's first time to Chinatown, New York, he talks to Chinese people about Falun Gong
Pondering the Truth About Life
While still in middle school, John read an article about other dimensions in a newspaper. He was inspired and believed that there must be something in the universe that no man knew about. He searched in books and among different religions and meditated, hoping to find the truth.
Learning About Falun Dafa
One day in April 2008, John read an article by a practitioner of Falun Dafa. The content touched his heart and he immediately downloaded the book Zhuan Falun from the Internet. He finished reading it within two days. Many of the questions he had were finally answered. The book helped raise his understanding about the universe and other dimensions, and taught him how to be a good person.
Becoming a True Practitioner at 18
John's 18th birthday was in spring 2009. Like almost all teenagers in Norway, John bought some alcohol to celebrate his birthday. After he brought the drinks home, he didn't feel comfortable. He knew that a true cultivator should not drink alcohol and since he wanted to be a practitioner, he needed to live by a practitioner's standard.
He did not touch the alcohol. John's 18th birthday marked his first day of becoming a true practitioner.
Witnessing the Miracles of Falun Dafa
On Christmas Day 2007, before John began to practice Falun Dafa, his spinal cord became misaligned. His back and legs were in terrible pain and he had to walk with a cane. The doctor said that he needed surgery.
After John became a practitioner, his pain eased. One day in summer 2009, John realized that he was no longer in pain. He didn't remember where he put his cane and he no longer needed support when walking.
In the fall of that year, the doctor called him to confirm the date for back surgery. John told him it would not be necessary because he was no longer in pain. The doctor told him that if he refused surgery at this time, he would have to reschedule and wait in line again. John hesitated for an instant, but chose to believe in Falun Dafa. He told the doctor that he would not need surgery ever again.
Returning to One's True Self
John wanted to be a rock star when he was little. He was deep into rock and roll music. When he was 14, he bought an expensive guitar and formed a rock band with his friends. It was unusual, but after every rehearsal or concert, he had a terrible headache and needed to take pain killers.
After he began to practice Falun Gong, John stopped wanting to listen to rock music without realizing it. Eventually, he could not listen to that type of music and stopped going to concerts. John started to listen to classical music. He said that classical music brought him peace and touched his soul.
Exposing the Persecution
After his 18th birthday, John hung out with his friends and was asked what he had been up to. John didn't say that he was practicing Falun Dafa. He was worried that in such a small town, where everyone knew one another, the news about him practicing Falun Gong would be all over town by the next day. “How would everyone look at me and what would they say?” John worried. That night his friends asked him the same question several times and he just kept quiet.
Afterward, he thought that he was wrong for not telling people about Falun Dafa. Being a practitioner, Falun Dafa has become part of his life and he needed to be proud of it, instead of being embarrassed. “How would people know about the persecution if they didn't know about Falun Dafa? People are waiting to hear the facts. Also, being too shy is an attachment!” John thought.
Opportunity came as his righteous thoughts rose. In his language class, students were asked to introduce their hobbies. John introduced Falun Dafa and its suppression in China. His presentation was a success and John won support from many of his classmates.
John's confidence was helped by this. He began to tell his neighbors about Falun Dafa and the persecution. He made fliers and put them in neighbors' mailboxes. If he ran into his neighbors, he would talk to them face to face.
Going to New York
On August 31, 2010, John decided to go to New York City for a Falun Dafa experience sharing conference and to be part of the activities with other practitioners.
John participated in a march to protest the illegal persecution of Falun Gong in China.
On September 4, John took part in a march in Manhattan's Chinatown. As he walked down the streets, John noticed changes on people's faces. The indifference and animosity melted away from their faces. The sides of the streets were crowed with Chinese people. Some of them held their thumbs up, some applauded and some waved. John was amazed by the power of Falun Dafa.
At the conference, John listened to practitioners' experiences as one of 6,000 practitioners from around the world. He was happy to see Master Li Hongzhi and listen to him talk at the conference. John improved greatly in his practice during this trip.
