(Clearwisdom.net)
We are glad to have the opportunity of being here to share experiences in cultivation. Accordingly, we would like to report to everybody how we have cultivated and how we have promoted Dafa since our arrival in Norway over two months ago.
There are 11 Falun Gong practitioners from 4 families that include 3 girls aged 15, 7 and 3. We are all living in Bodo, Norway. Our families are all from Mainland China originally, though two of us came from Japan six months ago. Eight of us from 3 families left Thailand by the end of January and settled down in Bodo one after another in early February.
Entering with UN refugee status, the 8 practitioners from Thailand came to Norway having suffered from persecution in varying degrees in Mainland China. Three of them had been sentenced by the evil and forced to do slave labor. One of them endured prison as long as five years.
Forming an environment of studying the Fa and pledging to do three things well
When our environment changed from Mainland China to Thailand, our ways of clarifying the truth also changed. As there were many Chinese tourists in Thailand, we could distribute the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and clarify the truth to over a hundred tourists from Mainland China every day. Early on in the City of Bodo what we noticed was the sparse population density and, of course, fewer Chinese. Well then, the chief issue we considered was how to cultivate in a new environment and how to do the three things well. Cooperation in validating the Fa is not a given when practitioners of different experiences and understandings of the Fa come together. Meanwhile, we have different human thoughts and attachments as well so conflicts and frictions have arisen. After discussing with one another how to improve our environment, we reached an agreement that studying the Fa together was key in this regard. So we scheduled a time for Fa study from 7:00 to 9:00 every evening, which is not to be altered under any circumstances, since Fa study ensures doing everything well. At the beginning, some of us had doubt in our hearts about our purpose here. Through sharing experiences with one another under the guidance of the Fa, we realized that all of us practitioners shoulder great missions. Now that our Teacher has arranged for us to be here in Norway, there must be reasons. What our Teacher has arranged for us is bound to be the best. Under any circumstances, we should do the three things well, clarify the truth and save sentient beings unconditionally.
After forming the environment of studying the Fa together, what we most needed to solve was how to promote the Fa rapidly and clarify the truth. Even so, we understand the Norwegian government has already chosen a good future through the admittance of so many Falun Gong practitioners in such a short time though the evil is persecuting Dafa madly. As Dafa practitioners, we should make better use of the opportunity and conditions to bring the goodness of Dafa to Norway and its people, and save more sentient beings at the same time.
During our initial arrival to Norway, we faced many difficulties such as the Norwegian language, culture, and social norms. In addition, financial burdens led to inconvenience in coming and going. Facing such difficulties, we first contacted fellow practitioners in Norway who made some good suggestions. After exchanging ideas, we settled on an elementary plan for validating Dafa in Norway. Two practitioners, a married couple with young child, came to Bodo from Japan six months ago. With righteous belief in Dafa, they have overcome difficulties in language and rigors of childcare to spread the Fa and clarify the truth every weekend in Bodo's city center. Based on this, we set up the first practice site in the city center with exercises from 3:00 to 5:00 every afternoon.
Our next item was to hold a news conference thanking Norway and its people for welcoming us. During the conference, local fellow practitioners in Norway not only actively participated in it but offered extra support and assistance as well, which made the activity a great success. We have realized that our benevolent Teacher has arranged everything for us when we are on the right path with our hearts on the Fa! The rest of it simply needs us to walk through with hearts unmoved.
On February 24th, the day before the news conference, a young lady, a fellow practitioner, rushed to Bodo. She had contacted a reporter of Nordland Daily, the most important newspaper in Norway. That afternoon the reporter actually came and interviewed us for three hours. The next morning, two whole front pages of the newspaper carried news that Falun Gong was being brutally persecuted in China. It had a such impact that before holding the news conference, when we were walking on the street of Bodo, some Norwegians gave us thumbs-up saying: "I know you! I have read the news! Hold the line!" During this period of time, certain practitioners produced some conflicts because they had different understandings about some matters, in addition to their own attachments. Yet, so long as we do everything to validate Dafa first and foremost, all of us can set down self-interest and cooperate with one another, thereby exemplifying the manner Dafa practitioners should have.
What Dafa needs is our need and what our fellow practitioners' need is our need
Another item we were involved in was to participate in an activity expressing our support to 8 million people having withdrawn from the Chinese Communist Party before the Chinese Embassy in Oslo. Being short of money prevented us all from going there. We decided that five of us would participate in the activity. Unfortunately we got a piece of news a day before: two aged fellow practitioners, a couple, live in a small city in western Norway, and the male practitioner suddenly lost his life by means of serious illness, now the female practitioner herself lives there alone. After discussion, we thought that we should be there because her tribulation was ours as well. Finally, we decided that two practitioners would go there the next day and the other three would go to Oslo. The two practitioners went to her place and first helped her address related matters. For three days afterwards, they studied the Fa together and shared understandings of how to treat all that had come so unexpectedly from the Fa's perspective. From this experience, one of them broke through a pass lasting as long as a year in his cultivation. He realized that it is not practitioners who help other practitioners but, in fact, our Teacher is making use of all opportunities and helping every practitioner upgrade.
When the evildoing of the CCP in Sujiatun Concentration Camp, Shenyang, was exposed recently, we immediately made banners the same night and printed truth clarification materials as well. We went out without delay to protest the evildoing in Sujiatun and held a hunger strike as well. Our aim was to tell the facts to Norwegians.
Our next plan is to hold an "Anti-Torture Show" and "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance Art Exhibition". What we want to express is not only how we, a small group of practitioners, have become one body by diligently studying the Fa together, but how all Dafa practitioners in both Norway and Europe can become one body and better fulfil our missions in clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings. This is achievable when every one of us is working hard together.
We have not been in Norway for very long. Even so, we have only done what Dafa practitioners should do on an elementary basis and need continued assistance from fellow practitioners from both Norway and Europe. What we have done is far from what our Teacher requires. Only by becoming more diligent can we not let down our Teacher's boundless benevolence.
Please point out benevolently if you find anything incorrect with our understanding.
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