(Minghui.org) My father passed away suddenly from complications after surgery last year. My wife and I were notified by my family in America to come for the funeral.
All my family in America are devout Christians. They have been encouraging and persuading us for years to convert. My mother even wrote in her will that her dying wish was for us to become Christians. I have not seen my siblings for some time, an older brother and younger sister. My parents have been living with them for a number of years.
After we arrived, we felt a little out of place. The church arranged the memorial service and funeral. Every day many friends and acquaintances from the church came to pay their respects. My mother cried in deep grief, and often read my father's diary. She had neither appetite nor energy to connect with others.
My wife and I asked ourselves how we could awaken sentient beings given this chance and conduct ourselves with righteous thoughts and actions. We believed that, as long as we kept Master and the Fa close, there would be an opportunity.
Master taught us:
“You are not to take any action directed at religions, as we only focus on what's in people's minds. If a person wants to cultivate, then talk to him [about Dafa]; and if he wants to listen to the facts, then explain them to him, and it will be fine. There is nothing special that needs to be done, and you don't have to go seek out this group. Just wait for them to come to you.” (Fa Teaching at the 2007 New York Fa Conference )
The pastor gave us the agenda for the memorial service. My brother would preside at the funeral, the pastor would give a sermon, and friends would be able to bid farewell. As the second child, there was no arrangement for me to talk.
I recalled my father's life. He had endured numerous hardships, experienced many massive propaganda campaigns and was persecuted one time after another. There were too many scars and wounds left on his body and soul.
He emigrated to America in his later years to escape the birthplace that gave him so much pain both physically and mentally. I was determined to console my father's spirit as well as inform and awaken the world's people.
As I was not around when my father was sick and passed away, I suggested that I say goodbye to him. No one objected.
Some of my relatives did not want me to deliver a eulogy. They said a Christian memorial service should be happy. The person's life should be celebrated as they are blessed to go to heaven. One should not be sad.
I had discussed my eulogy with my mother beforehand, and she was deeply moved by my words. She agreed that I should deliver the eulogy.
Hundreds of people attended the memorial service. Many were Christians and friends of my father also attended. The church was full.
I began my eulogy: “You will go to a beautiful place where there will be no 'Anti-Rightist Campaign' that humiliates and persecutes you. There will be no more raids on homes or blood curdling meetings that denounce, criticize, or insult you. There will be no more forced labor camps or worry for your children's suspension from school or their future. No one will shun you...”
The entire chapel was visibly moved. You could hear the sobbing throughout. We knew the people there were clear now about the Chinese Communist Party and what my father had endured all his life.
We stayed with my sister and her husband for over a month. My wife did the shopping, cooking, and cleaning for the entire family. My brother had gone to get baptized, but my mother no longer pushed us to do the same. She observed us quietly and listened to us attentively.
Some accused of us of being political. To that, I said, “The Chinese Communist Party used politics as a tool to pursue its power and suppress its citizens. When others try to exercise their rights, they are accused of 'playing politics.' As cultivators, we do not care for power or political matters. We are only against the persecution.
“Faith is the backbone of one's spirit. If you were going through the hundreds of years of terror and persecution of Christians again, what would you do? The Falun Gong practitioners in China are facing unprecedented terror and brutality. Numerous cultivators have lost their lives, their organs have been harvested for profit by the regime, but we firmly and solidly continue down our path.” My mother's eyes were wet when she heard that.
In order to help my mother deal with her grief, we took her back to China for a change of scenery. She wanted to go to the local Christian church and visit minority ethnic groups to give them Bibles, and we agreed.
We found a church nearby as soon as we got home and introduced my mother to them. Our words and deeds awakened her knowing side. She began thinking: What is Dafa? Why are Dafa practitioners so broadminded, bighearted, peaceful, and considerate?
One day my mother suddenly asked my wife, “Would you show me your Dafa books, DVDs, and any other materials?” Her voice was calm and firm. We knew it was encouragement from Master. We were moved by compassionate Master.
My mother has walked on the path of Dafa cultivation since then. She earnestly reads the Dafa teachings, watches Fa lectures, and exercises. Her health has improved, and peace and serenity have replaced her grief and sorrow. An 88-year-old once-devout Christian has become a firm Dafa practitioner!
When my mother returned to America, she found a local group. She attended two Fa conferences and saw Master! She also joined in group exercises, parades, and rallies. She has the energy and spirit of a young person!
We are grateful for Master's saving grace! For his compassionate salvation!
