(Minghui.org) Towards the end of February 2020, I suddenly thought of a good friend of mine. Like me, he too came to the United States to study, but had returned to China for the winter holidays. His family happened to live in Wuhan. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, he had been unable to return to the United States. I decided to contact him to see if he was doing well.
My friend soon replied to my text messages. His mother was having difficulty breathing and was bedridden with a high fever of 39.2 degrees Celsius. My friend himself was down with a mild fever. I immediately called him, determined to let him know the truth behind the persecution of Falun Dafa.
We spoke for more than four hours. I told him how the pandemic had started, along with the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) attempts to conceal and lie about the epidemic before and during the outbreak. Influenced by his American landlord, my friend had become a Christian. Due to his religious background, he was able to accept my words when I explained that such things do not happen by accident.
Gradually, we started talking about qigong and supernormal abilities. My friend expressed interest in these topics, and I started highlighting to him some examples of supernormal abilities seen in the early 1990s. I told him, “We deny the existence of things which cannot be described nor seen. If we obey this logic, will anyone continue to discover the unknowns of the universe? Similarly, science will stop advancing, right?”
I then delved into the positive attitude of society during the early days of the introduction of Falun Dafa in China. I explained that people’s attitude toward Falun Dafa began to change as a result of the government’s secret campaign to slander and persecute practitioners.
Our conversation was practically one sided, as my friend could barely speak due to a sore throat. Although he spoke only a few words, he would hum frequently at intervals in agreement. Through the strength and tone of his voice, I could tell my words had triggered a change in his viewpoint.
Gradually, I started introducing him to Dafa and the benefits that this practice has brought to so many. I told him about the many miracles my family and I experienced after we started cultivation practice. We also talked about the defamation of Falun Dafa by the CCP, and the growing international condemnation of the Chinese regime's cruel persecution.
As our conversation progressed, his understandings changed. When his tone indicated signs of acceptance, I started introducing the idea of quitting the CCP. Beforehand, I had diligently sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil factors behind him. With little effort on my part, my friend quickly agreed to quit the CCP. Overjoyed, I advised him to recite the following phrase before bed, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” My friend agreed. I also asked him to advise his mother to quit the CCP and sincerely recite the phrases as well. My friend replied, “Okay. However, I can’t speak due to my sore throat. Let me write the phrases down and show them to my mother.”
My friend’s mother works as a senior executive in a state-owned enterprise, an environment steeped in CCP Party culture. She was skeptical of the phrases, but likely saw no other way. The following day my friend reported to me that his mother had agreed to quit the CCP. She had also started to sincerely recite the phrase “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” He asked me to help his mother quit the CCP online and I happily agreed.
A day later, my friend excitedly reported that his mother had broken into a sweat. Her fever had vanished and she no longer had difficulty breathing. My friend’s fever had gone down and his throat no longer hurt. I was delighted at the news and advised him to continue reciting “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” My friend repeatedly assured me that he would.
A week later, my friend and his mother suddenly came to mind. I called him for a chat, only to find out that his mother had been admitted to the hospital the day before, and moreover was quarantined because she had tested positive for the virus. Some time after our previous conversation, family members had convinced his mother to go to the hospital for treatment. Because of his close contact with his mother, my friend was forcibly quarantined at a nearby hotel. He underwent testing and was found to be negative for the virus.
I was puzzled. “You stayed with your mother and saw her daily. Yet your test result is negative. Isn’t it strange? Moreover, hadn’t your mother begun to recover quickly after one night of sleep?” My friend told me that his mother had visited the hospital against his advice.
On hearing his words, I realized what I had failed to do. During our initial conversation, my friend had preempted me about his mother’s possible half-hearted attitude toward Falun Dafa. I had been uneasy, but hesitant to intervene and clarify the facts to his mother myself. At that time, the idea that this was “not necessary” stayed my hand. I decided to wait for a more opportune moment to clarify the facts to my friend’s mother. When my friend suddenly informed me the following day that his mother agreed to quit the CCP, I had been overjoyed. However, the lingering worry that his mother had only quit for superficial reasons made me decide to follow up with my friend. The difference between my thoughts and actions had resulted in this outcome.
I immediately asked, “What is your mother’s situation now?” My friend said his mother regretted her decision to visit the hospital. The environment in her ward was extremely poor, with three people crammed into one room. The hospital food was particularly bad, and she wanted to leave right away. According to my friend, a patient had to undergo two consecutive tests, with both producing negative results, before they could be discharged. I told my friend to contact his mother, advising her to silently and sincerely recite the phrases “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” I told him to highlight the importance of this to her, as the slightest doubt or disbelief would render the phrase ineffective. My friend agreed and thanked me.
Two days later, my friend called and told me his mother had been tested and her results were negative! Both my friend and his mother had been amazed to receive this result. If her subsequent test produced another negative result, the hospital would discharge her from their care to a hotel, where she would be quarantined for 14 days before being released home. I rejoiced at their good fortune and thanked Master for his compassionate aid.
To date, my friend and his mother are safely home and in good health!
