[International Online Fahui] Overcoming the Language Barrier in Collecting Signatures to Save Sentient Beings

(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!

In 2020, when the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus (Covid-19) was spreading worldwide, people’s lives were at risk. The Netherlands, a small country of 17 million people, was once among the top 10 countries in terms of infection rate. As I watched the number of infections and deaths climbing every day, I felt anxious and distressed.

We know that when Heaven eliminates the Chinese Communist Party, everyone has to choose between good and evil. From state heads to the common folks, there is no exception. They will all have to choose whether they want the Chinese Communist Party or not.

Master urged us:

“Awakening them is your own responsibility. Saving them is a responsibility for all of you.” (“ Fa Teaching at the 2016 New York Fa Conference”)

I know that getting them to reject the CCP and abandon it is a good way to awaken and save them, so I began to clarify the truth and collect signatures at the beginning of last May.

Firm Righteous Thoughts, Walk the First Step Well

Last April, in light of the rising epidemic and the unclear attitude of the Holland government, several of our fellow practitioners prepared a petition to condemn the CCP for covering up the epidemic and to demand compensation from the CCP. The purpose was to help people see the CCP’s deceit and collect their signatures on the petition. We’d then present the signatures to the government and urged it to reject the CCP, given the will of the people.

After everything was ready, all kinds of concerns popped up in me. Would it look odd to set up a small table there? Would it cause confusion? What if I encountered problems and was not able to explain with my limited language ability?

All kinds of human thoughts prevented me from going out. I knew that the evil specter of the CCP is ruling the world and holding the entire world hostage. To get the world to condemn the CCP and pursue compensation was like dropping a bomb in the evil’s den, and it would do whatever it could to interfere with us.

Master’s poem appeared in my mind:

“Diligence and Righteous Enlightenment Don’t let up in studying the Fa;amidst it transformation happensLet nothing sway conviction;of it comes right fruit and the blooming lotus”(Hong Ying II)

I understood it was Master who reminded us to do what I should be doing. But my heart raced whenever I wanted to go out and collect signatures. I did not know what was going to happen. When I was still hesitant, another piece of Master’s poem struck me:

“Severing ...If your will is not firm,The hurdles are like mountains.How will you transcend this mortal life?”(Hong Yin II)

On the afternoon of May 3, 2020, after making the truth-clarifying calls to China, I had a firm thought to go out, even if no one signed the petition. I knew it was Master who inspired me to move forward. That day, I was at a small train station and two people signed. After breaking through all kinds of obstruction, I was not afraid anymore. Master paved the way and cleared the blockage in the other dimensions. Standing there, I felt confident. I was the messenger of salvation. I was doing the most righteous thing. I was happy for people who made the right choice.

Because my heart was set on saving people, I was able to calmly deal with interference. A police car was patrolling every afternoon around the train station. I thought it was a routine for them. One day, a policeman stopped in front of my small display table and rolled down the window to ask me a question. Not knowing what they said, I turned around to get the petition and told them what I was doing. I asked help from Master: Master, don't let them unknowingly do things against Dafa.

In fact, I had already heard that a fellow practitioner was photographed by the police and was ordered to leave while collecting signatures. With righteous thoughts, I handed over my petition to the police officers and the two men looked at each other and said a few words, smiled, and waved their hands to indicate that I should continue doing my job.

Since there were few people passing by the small train station, I took my petition board to Capital Square to collect more signatures. By that time, I had no fear and knew I was doing the right thing to save lives. There were many touching stories that inspired me to go out and collect signatures every day. Because I couldn't speak the language, I stood at the display table and when people saw the display material, they came up to sign.

One elderly man left me with a deep impression. Before he signed his name, I gave him a glove, which he clutched in his hand without using it. After signing, he put the glove in his pocket and took out two dollars to give to me. It looked like he might not be well off, but he took out money to donate. His life may have been for today's signature, and today it was realized. His excitement and gratitude were expressed with the two dollars.

Master told us:

“Dafa disciples, no matter how much you sacrifice when you clarify the truth, I’ve got to tell you, in the end there will still be many beings that can’t be saved—they’re doomed to be weeded out. I know how many people in Mainland China will be eliminated, and it’s terrifying—the number is just enormous.” (Teachings From a Tour of North America)

During the process, some of them did not understand and came up to me with anger and said things that I did not understand. Some of them showed thumbs down to me, but I just smiled as if nothing had happened. One day, a middle-aged Asian man came up to the exhibit table, pointed at the display, looked straight at me with rage and accused me. He talked so fast that his spit almost splashed onto my face. I didn't know the local language and kept looking at him with a smile. Finally, he called me in broken Chinese: traitor, traitor. And then he walked away. I did not feel aggrieved, but sorry for him.

Collecting Signatures at Central Train Station

On June 5, 2020, the Falun Dafa Association gave me an approval letter to collect signatures at the central train station in the central hub city, and I asked my fellow practitioners to improve the signature form and the petition. I was not able to leave the table for four to five hours a day. Therefore, I could not eat or drink anything while standing there, and I persevered until the end.

Master told us:

“Without conflicts there won’t be improvement. Some people feel that the setting they’re in is very peaceful, and everyone thinks his cultivation is going pretty well. In fact, let me tell you that this isn’t good. What I want to do is precisely to create some conflicts for you, for having none of these does you no good. That’s because only in the midst of conflicts can your attachments be exposed and made visible to you and others, and then they will be eliminated. If there weren’t such conflicts your ordinary person’s attachments would not be eliminated. So, do pay some attention to this: Under any circumstance, particularly when you cultivate among ordinary people, it is inevitable that only through conflicts and through xinxing interference can you improve your xinxing.” (Teachings at the Conference in the Western U.S.)

Since the beginning of the signature drive, there was constant interference both externally and internally. I think it was a test of our faith in Master and Dafa, as well as our righteous thoughts of saving people. When our righteous thoughts came together, it was likely to be a breakthrough in the level of cultivation, lives at that level might be saved, and the interference would disappear on its own. The internal interference, on the other hand, included factors for our own improvement and the overall elevation of the group. So it's not scary when conflicts come. What's scary is when we lose the opportunity to improve.

In the process of collecting signatures at the central train station, I was alone and did not know the language. I kept asking, should I do it? From time to time, the thought of whether it was the right thing to do came up. Time and again, Master enlightened me that it was the right thing to do. Three days in a row, when I closed the exhibition table, people rushed in to sign the petition.

On top of that, people who already signed petition brought others to sign, and some people heard about it and came on weekends to put down their names. After I shared these in our group, a fellow practitioner clearly raised her objection to this type of signature collecting, saying, “Just because you think people have signed and you are inspired, it doesn't mean you are doing the right thing.” Her words did not aggravate me, because Master told us:

“You can’t say that the students’ doing things a certain way is wrong and a certain way is right. Everyone is walking his own path, and we can't impose our own concepts on others.” (Teachings Given on Lantern Festival Day, 2003)

Afterward, I thought, why did this happen? First, I had to be firm in my righteous thoughts of collecting signatures to save people. And second, I usually had some disdain for this fellow practitioner and had the tendency to magnify her shortcomings. After I understood the causes, I steadied my mind, and I firmly believed that nothing could stop me from collecting signatures. When people came, I asked for their support and signatures; when there was no one, I would recite the Fa teachings or send forth righteous thoughts. One day, I collected 64 signatures! For the fellow practitioner's shortcomings, I realized they were revealed for me to cultivate away my jealousy, my looking down upon others, and my self-righteousness. When I improved my xinxing, she also rectified herself. Everything was calm and peaceful again.

On July 18, 2020, I started to collect signatures using the Global Tuidang (Quitting the CCP) Center’s signatures form. I stood at the exit of the train station for four to five hours a day, with a maximum of 78 signatures a day. The strength of one person was not enough. In July and August, when the tourist season was in full swing, I wanted to have another practitioner to work with me in collecting signatures, so that we could save more people.

Much Needed Support from a Fellow Practitioner

On August 1, 2020, another practitioner who was eleven years younger than me (I was 69) joined me. Immediately after, she designed a new banner for us, which allowed people to see from a distance with the eye-catching message “End the CCP.” She also designed other things and fliers for us to use.

Other fellow practitioners quietly helped in various ways and sent righteous thoughts for us. Our signature drive took off, like a tiger with wings. We cherished the time Master gave us and appreciated fellow practitioners' dedication. We had no time to chat and almost had to run around the booth all day long to collect signatures. The other practitioner explained to others why we collected the signatures and why it was important to do so. The most signatures we collected in one day was 304. Even though the weather was hot, we did not eat or drink all day and we were happy for the result. There were many touching stories that inspired us.

One day, a woman in her 30s signed and said that the CCP is bad. She wanted to talk to me, but I didn't know the language well enough to talk. We bid goodbye. Later, she came back and wrote a note for me. When I was trying to ask two young women sitting next to her to sign the petition, she gave me the note and gestured me to show it to the two young women. I handed over the note, they read it and signed it immediately.

I put her note in front of my signature pad, when others read the note, most of them signed their names. A fellow practitioner who speaks their language told me that the note was written in a way that was clear, with a friendly tone explaining why it was important to sign the petition.

Before she wrote the note for me, I met a few people asking me about the petition, but I could not answer. Just as I wished I could have a note to explain things more clearly, it was granted right away. I was almost moved to tears that day, seeing so many people signing the petition. Within two months, I collected 3,400 signatures with that note!

Some young people signed their names and drew a smiley face on top of the signature; others drew a heart to express their joy; sometimes four or five people stood in front of the small exhibition table, waiting to sign; some signed their names and went to get drinks and ice cream for me.

After three Asian youths signed their names and I gave them small lotus flowers, one young woman jumped for joy, as if she had been waiting for this for millions of years. After a while, the three of them stood in front of me again. One of the young men took a bottle of ice water and put it into my hand, along with twenty dollars. I told him that I could not take it. The young man pointed his finger at the sky with tears in his eyes, meaning it was too hot. He insisted on putting it in my hand. I was in tears as well for his understanding and support. It deeply touched me.

There were more than two hundred people signing that day, and we had all experienced the heartwarming moments many times. We were grateful for Master's compassion and blessing!

The fellow practitioner and I learned from each other. We understood and encouraged each other. I learned several keywords from her. When people hurried away without looking at our table, I would say: CCP virus go away, Wuhan virus go away. Then they would stop and come back to read the note on the signature board. I lifted the note again and showed them the truth and read to them: The CCP lies, people die. After they signed, I gave them the fliers and told them: let your family and friends know this to stay away from the CCP and stay safe.

That fellow practitioner went to a big city on the weekends to collect signatures. I stayed behind, as I did not want to leave anyone out. We both had some physical discomfort at times. We would seize the time to study the Fa teachings, do the exercises, and send forth righteous thoughts. I told her one day that I asked for Master’s reinforcement again today. I cried as I talked. She encouraged me, “We all count on Master!” We realized that without Master’s compassionate care, it would be very hard for us to persevere till today.

She was interfered with and couldn’t fall asleep at night. But she still went to collect signatures the next day. One day she collected over 300 signatures and as soon as she went home, she was so tired that she fell asleep immediately. After 8 months, she lost nearly 20 pounds. For me, I noticed my hands and feet were swollen, and even my lips. Some nights I felt so bad and wondered if I could go the next day. I asked for Master’s help: “Master, I still want to go tomorrow, please strengthen me.”

When I woke up the next day, I remembered Master’s Fa teachings to Australian disciples. The Fa gave me endless strength. Although there was interference at times, I knew that Master was right beside me. I felt that I was cultivating and improving every day under Master’s protection and care.

When I was upset and felt lonely, a red, yellow, and blue rainbow appeared on the window of our small railway station on a gloomy day. I knew that Master was encouraging me that the more hopeless and lonely we feel, the closer hope is in front of us. After the storm, it’s the colorful haze covering the sky. When I was starving, I came back to my table and saw sandwiches and chocolate milk placed on it. Master knew everything, what else could I not let go?

One more thing was worth mentioning: On April 2 of this year, it was cloudy, cold, and very windy. Fifty to sixty college students came from a faraway city, and they took my signature board and passed it around to sign. I knew that it was Master who had sent them here from far away, and they rushed to fulfill their long-cherished wish, which reminded me not to slack off in the way of saving lives. For this reason, I wrote a poem to express my deep feeling: It is the Master who saves people, it is Master who helps his disciples to fulfill their vows.

Thank you, Master, for Your Saving Grace

The plague descends from the skyPandemic is rampant in the worldAbandon the red devil to avoid the scourgeSentient beings seek the truth

Evil spirit sets up roadblocksMaster’s protection is nearbyDisciples are busy saving peopleFurnace refine the true body

In order to get more practitioners to participate in the petition drive, I sometimes shared the touching stories with them in the large group Fa study. Sometimes I posted the stories on the communication platform, which also encouraged more practitioners to join the effort. Now, one after another, fellow practitioners are joining me in collecting signatures.

What is gratifying is that practitioners with good language skills actively participated and set up more sites to collect signatures. They go to the parks, the markets, and other places with larger crowds. Some brought the petition form to their workplace and took back the signature form after it was filled up. Many of them went to crowded areas and were able to get 200-300 signatures a day. Some fellow practitioners felt great when they went out to collect signatures.

By this March, we have collected over 80,000 signatures. Fellow practitioners and I will seize the time to save people, fulfill our mission, and turn our gratitude to Master into actions of saving sentient beings!

Thank you, Master!Thank you, fellow practitioners!