(Clearwisdom.net) My wife and I started to practice Falun Gong in July 1996. Before practicing, we had several diseases. We had tried many treatment methods, but nothing was effective, so we thought we would give it a try. We were quickly surprised by the healing power of Falun Gong. After just one week of practice, both of us felt energetic and good. After two weeks of practice, my wife, who worked in a hospital, had a physical exam, and it showed that all of her diseases were gone. We felt very fortunate and made up our minds to practice Falun Gong and never stop!
We felt so happy about practicing Falun Gong that we told all of our friends and relatives about the wonderfulness of the practice. At the end of 1996, we set up a group practice site. The number of people attending the group practice gradually increased. Finally, up to 170 practitioners came daily to practice together, so we set up other practice sites as well. Spreading the Fa was not limited to those in close proximity; on weekends, we traveled to other towns to introduce Falun Gong and helped set up group practice and group study locations there. In the spring of 1997, we invited my sisters and brothers from my hometown to visit us and introduced Falun Gong to them. When they saw the dramatic change in my health, they understood that Falun Gong was really good. We played videos of Master's lectures for them in the evenings and taught them the exercises. While watching the fourth lecture, my brother quit smoking and drinking. My older sister's diseases were completely healed, and my younger sister felt a huge change in her physical condition during that time. The benefits of learning the practice really amazed them, so they decided to introduce Falun Gong to the people in our hometown. Shortly after that, they set up a group practice site there and many people learned about Falun Gong there.
On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), under Jiang's rule, started to persecute Falun Gong and spread lies and false propaganda about Master Li. Our local practitioners lost the environment to study the Fa and practice the exercises together. With firm belief in Master, we studied the Fa and practiced the exercises in our homes and clarified the truth about Falun Gong to people around us. I tried my best to offer truth-clarification materials and help practitioners with questions in my area.
In July 2007, I was illegally arrested while delivering truth-clarifying materials to another practitioner, and his telephone had been tapped by the National Security agents. Later, I was sentenced to forced labor. When my wife went to Tienanmen Square to clarify the facts about Falun Gong, she was also arrested and detained.
The news about our arrests was soon spread in my hometown. More than 10 of my relatives came to the labor camp to ask for my release. The CCP agents rejected their requests and threatened them. Under the physical and mental pressure of the persecution, many of them decided to give up the practice after going back home. My sister-in-law was frightened the most; she became sick shortly afterward and passed away in two years. After two years in the labor camp, I was released. I tried to ask my relatives to resume the practice, but no one listened to me. They said: “You had been such a high-ranking government official. Even the secretary and the director of the county visited you at home. Now the CCP fired you and jailed you for no reason. We are just low-ranking citizens. We have no way to avoid their persecution.”
Although my relatives gave up the practice, this decision did not come from their true selves, but formed out of their fear of the evil CCP. Master still supported them and give them chances to return to the practice. In the winter of 2007, my eldest sister fell into a river. She could not swim, and no one was there to help her. Due to the strong wind, she was taken far out into the water. She thought, “I will surely die.” She closed her eyes and waited for death. After a long time, she found that she was still floating on the surface and that the direction of the wind had changed. She was blown right back to shore and was able to hold onto some water plants, climb out and return home safely. When her family heard her story, they were astonished. They said that divine beings had saved her life.
After hearing the story, I went to visit her. She said to me: “It's good that we can meet while we are both alive. Heaven has given us the chance.” I replied: “You are right, heaven has given us the chance. Compassionate Master has given us this chance.” She was surprised by my words and said: “I haven't practiced Falun Gong for many years. Is Master still looking after me?” I said, “Yes. Master is waiting for you to come back to practice cultivation. Master would never give up on any disciple.” She took out Master's picture and Falun Gong books and said to me: “Even though I claimed that I quit the practice, my faith never changed. I always presented incense to Master.” I said to her: “It's not OK to behave differently from what you say. We have to cultivate truthfulness. Don't let the precious opportunity to cultivate pass by.” She replied: “Yes, I want to resume my practice! I will start to practice again!”
Thus, my eldest sister resumed her Falun Gong practice. After my sister-in-law had passed away, my older brother stopped his practice and started to smoke and drink again. In April 2011, he felt faint and fell down after dinner at his daughter's home. He told his daughter and son-in-law that he had a stroke. They immediately sent him to the emergency room. The doctor confirmed that he had a stroke. However, after only three days, he could walk again. He requested to check out, but the physician in charge said he should remain in the hospital because he was still in danger and his stroke could recur within a week. He became very angry and insisted on leaving. His daughter was very worried, as she could not persuade him to calm down. She then thought about me and gave me a call, saying that her father only listened to me. I understood that this was Master's arrangement, so I told her: “I can persuade him about other things, but this decision is about his life. You should listen to your father. I understand that you are a filial daughter. However, the best way to be filial is to respect him. After he checks out from the hospital, I will come to visit him.” She still insisted on her father staying in the hospital for seven days. After that, he checked out.
When I visited my brother, in front of my nieces and nephews, I said: “Look at other stroke patients. Who could completely recover in just three days? It was Master who saved your father's life. Otherwise, he and you would not be smiling today. I suggest that we all recite, 'Falun Dafa is great! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is great! Thank you Master for your protection.'” Everyone then recited these words loudly together.
I told my brother: “You are more than seventy years old. Master gave you another life. You should not keep drinking and smoking and use this life to be a common person. This life is for your cultivation. Do you understand that?” My brother replied: “Yes, I understand. If I don't practice cultivation, I would really fall short of Master's expectation.” I said, “Not only of Master's expectation, but of the expectations of all the sentient beings in your world.” Tears filled in his eyes after listening to my words.
Before I left my brother's home, my siblings and I shared our feelings about obtaining the Fa about 14 years ago. Under Master's protection , all of us have good families, and all of our children have good jobs. My eldest sister is seventy-five years old. She will soon have a great grandchild. There are about sixty people in our big family. Some of them are government officials. Others include military officials, teachers, medical workers, university students, high school students, and elementary students. Although all of us have to endure the evil CCP's propaganda, more than ten people started to practice Falun Gong and eight of them are still practicing. All of our family members have resigned from the CCP and its affiliated associations. They all know that Falun Dafa is great! It's difficult for everyone in the family stay together, but everyone cares about one another. Phone calls or letters between relatives come frequently. Everyone clearly understands that our good fortune was given by Master and Dafa.
