(Minghui.org) As practitioners around the world celebrate the 13^th of May, World Falun Dafa Day, the city government and the people of Charlotte, North Carolina expressed their gratitude for this great cultivation practice.

Mayor of Charlotte proclaims May 13^th, 2021 as World Falun Dafa Day.

Mayor Vi Alexander Lyles issued a World Falun Dafa Day proclamation, recognizing the principles of Falun Dafa, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and its great contribution to the health and spirit of the community.

Practitioners in Charlotte talked about the positive changes they experienced after they began practicing Falun Dafa.

Falun Dafa Gives Me Wisdom

Dr. White, a university professor, and his wife Jenney started practicing Falun Dafa in 1998. Dr. White has published 17 books on computer engineering, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Most of them were published by renowned presses around the world. Two of his books have been translated into Russian and Chinese.

Dr. White deeply thanked Falun Dafa for giving him wisdom, and for Master’s protection during serious tribulations. He said he wouldn’t have been here today without Master’s guidance and protection. He wished Master a Happy Birthday!

Unwavering Faith Despite Persecution

Practitioner Wang Xin (first on left) participates in a parade in New York in 2019.

Mr. Wang Xin, a graduate of Tsinghua University, was imprisoned in China for 9 years for practicing Falun Dafa. He was subjected to various physical and psychological tortures, including being shocked with electric batons and being force-fed salt water, but remained steadfast in his belief. He said that Falun Dafa's teachings enlightened him to the meaning of life. He felt fortunate to walk on a path of assimilating to the universal principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

Xin said, “During the years of cultivation, I deeply felt Master’s profound compassion and protection. There is no way for me to repay Master. The only thing I can do is to cultivate myself diligently and fulfill my mission as a Falun Dafa practitioner!”

Generations of a Family Follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance

Practitioner Lili

Lili has a doctoral degree in economics and works at a bank. Her husband, her son, and her mother all practice Falun Dafa. Her father passed away when she was a child. Lili and her mother began practicing Falun Dafa and followed the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in their daily lives. When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution of Falun Dafa in 1999, Lili was absolutely certain that there was nothing wrong with following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

“No matter how the CCP propaganda smeared Falun Dafa, or how much the school authorities pressured me, I refused to say anything bad about Falun Dafa,” Lili recalled. “My mom was thrown into a brainwashing center for practicing Falun Dafa. I cried myself to sleep at night. I had a dream in which mom was a fairy with wings and a white gown. She told me that she would certainly come back, but Master was with us all the time. I stopped crying and learned how to take care of myself. I continued to study the Fa and do the exercises. Mom was released after a couple of weeks. Twenty-five years have passed. Now I'm a mother and I teach my son to follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I would like to send Master a Happy Birthday greeting on behalf of my whole family.”

Cultivation Restored My Health

Catherine began practicing Falun Dafa 25 years ago. She said, “I started practicing when I was 33. One day, as I did the second exercise I suddenly felt the rotation of a Falun law wheel around my abdomen. I couldn’t stand still due to the strong force of the rotation. I could clearly feel its rotation clockwise and counterclockwise. I was so excited that I opened my eyes, but the powerful rotation didn’t stop. I shook my head to make sure it wasn’t an illusion. It was real, though invisible! Ever since that day, all my diseases were gone. My body became so light that I felt like I was flying.”

Jane said she began having headaches when she was a child. They became worse as she grew older. She had low blood pressure in her 20s. If she suddenly stood up, she could not see. After she began practicing Falun Dafa, her migraine headaches and low blood pressure were completely gone. Jane’s eighty-year-old mother-in-law has been practicing Falun Dafa for 26 years. She is able to walk easily. She also gardens, sews, and does other housework with ease.

Returning to One’s True Self

Alice, a computer scientist, sought ways of cultivation since she was young. She tried various energy practices. She was delighted to find Falun Dafa and said, “I wouldn’t be here without Master’s compassionate salvation!”

Practitioners Jenny and her husband were imprisoned in China for practicing Falun Dafa. They had to leave China to avoid further persecution. They would like to take this opportunity to thank Master for his compassionate salvation, and wish Master a Happy Birthday!

Eighty-year-old Mrs. Tang recently moved to the U.S. after enduring all kinds of suffering throughout her life, she was thankful to start a new chapter in her life with cultivation. Mrs. Tang’s daughter Ling learned Falun Dafa in the U.S. She said she was the most fortunate person in the world!

Patrick, a young practitioner, said that Master’s protection made him feel close to Master. He was determined to let go of his attachments, and cultivate himself diligently.

Peter is a senior practitioner who attended Master’s early classes in China. He was a professor at that time, and came to the U.S. soon after. He sincerely treasures his predestined relationship with Falun Dafa and encourages himself to genuinely assimilate to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

Background: What Is Falun Dafa?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people have embraced the practice, which is based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance as well as five gentle exercises, and experienced improved health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline's growing popularity as a threat to the CCP's atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, issued an order to ban the practice.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 22 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. More have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply the organ transplant industry.

Under Jiang's personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.