(Clearwisdom.net) May 13, 2011 was Master Li Hongzhi's birthday and the twelfth World Falun Dafa Day. Falun Gong practitioners in Melbourne held a group exercise to celebrate the birthday of their compassionate Master, World Falun Dafa Day, and the nineteenth anniversary of Falun Dafa's introduction.

Close to one hundred Falun Gong practitioners, dressed in yellow exercise suits, gathered in Fitzroy Park and did the exercises in a group, along with beautiful music. Some of them are veteran practitioners, while others have recently begun cultivating.

Every practitioner has had touching experiences of improving mind, body, and spirit. Two young practitioners in their twenties shared their personal experience.

Fan Wen started practicing Falun Gong when he was eight, in 1995. He said, “My dad had an unusual disease that couldn't be cured by medicine. But it was cured by practicing Falun Gong. My mother, my aunt, and one of my teachers all practiced Falun Gong. Many people did. I obtained the Fa and learned what I was supposed to do and what I wasn't supposed to do.”

Wen said, “My dad's terrible disease was cured. He is the backbone of our family. My dad's business also got better and better. He conducted his business following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and earned people's trust. Our financial situation improved. Falun Dafa brought a huge change to our family.”

Wen was only twelve when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution in 1999. “I was puzzled. I asked my dad if what was said on TV was true. My dad didn't say anything, but he kept shaking his head. I thought it was ridiculous how the police would be after the best people instead of after the bad ones. I hated it. I didn't have any concept of government or politics. I felt depressed at my school. Because of the CCP's brainwashing propaganda, some of my classmates made fun of Dafa. When I seriously told them the true story, they stopped.”

Wen went to Australia for college in 2008. He works hard and has outstanding achievement. He never avoids the topic of Falun Gong when talking with his friends. Whenever someone has a misunderstanding of Dafa, he talks to them to clarify the true story. Wen said, “I feel it is great to cultivate in Falun Dafa. I learned to tell right from wrong. Many people of my age feel lost, but I know exactly what I'm doing. I know how I did well in school.”

Su Ting grew up in a rich family in China. She used to have a rebellious personality. She said, “I got whatever I wanted since I was little. My family did their best to satisfy my material needs. My parents got divorced when I was little. They tried to make it up to me in their own ways. I grew up at my grandmother's. My parents' divorce made me feel insecure. I became very selfish and wanted to own everything. I always wanted my way, and never considered the feelings of others.

“Because of the CCP's suppression, kids of my age heard nothing but slandering of Falun Gong in China. But I didn't agree. I had always disliked the way the CCP did things. I have never applied to join the Youth League, even though my teacher asked me to.

“I remember in 1999, as the CCP launched the persecution, the TV broadcast Falun Gong-slandering programs repeatedly. Most people didn't analyze it too much. They simply accepted what was fed to them by the propaganda. Western students would ask why.”

Ting read the book Zhuan Falun in 2007. She said, “I thought it was great. It taught me a way I didn't know before. I began to reflect on what I had done before. I had always believed in Buddhas. I began to correct my behaviors little by little. My way of living was changed before I knew it. I was no longer calculating, and started thinking of others. My bad habit of losing my temper disappeared too.”

A few months later, Ting found out that her boyfriend had been cheating on her. Swamped in relationships and school work, Ting left her cultivation and became dispirited. Both her health and school work subsequently deteriorated. A Falun Dafa practitioner advised her to read Zhuan Falun again.

"I picked up my reading of Zhuan Falun again. I calmed down right away and quit smoking and drinking. My insomnia also disappeared. I stayed at home for a week and watched the video recordings of Master's lectures in Jinan and Dalian. I learned how to do the five sets of exercises. I seemed to gain a new life. I shed my old self and was determined to begin my path of cultivation. I saw my ex-boyfriend during Chinese New Year. To my surprise, I no longer hated him. I felt sorry for him. It was Falun Dafa that melted away my hatred. I felt the beauty of tolerance and forgiveness. I helped him quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations, and gave him and his girlfriend my best wishes."

“I feel peaceful and contented with my life. It's hard to describe it with words. I used to go shopping every day because I felt a void in my heart. I'm now happy every day.”