(Minghui.org) I'm a 70-year-old Falun Dafa practitioner. I started practicing Dafa in April 2000, after Jiang Zemin launched the persecution in July 1999.

I suffered from many illnesses before I became a practitioner. I had lumbar bone hyperplasia which pressed on my nerves and made walking difficult. I had serious heart disease and I could only sleep sitting up or in a reclined position. I suffered from headaches, sore throat, stomachaches, intestinal tract inflammation, and I was losing my vision. I was constantly in pain and doctors could not help me.

After learning Falun Dafa, I conducted myself and treated others according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Gradually, my illnesses were gone. I have been practicing for nearly sixteen years, and I have not spent a penny on medical treatment. Falun Dafa is truly amazing! I'm grateful to Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, for giving me health and helping me become a good person.

I live in a village in a mountainous area where apple trees are bountiful. The villagers make their living by growing apples. There is a saying that, “The apples from Qixia are the best in the world.”

The mountain roads are full of potholes, which get worse during the summer rainy season. The soil is washed away and the rocks are exposed, making driving very difficult.

Pedicabs are the main form of transportation in this area. However, since no one bothers to repair the roads after the rain, they become very bumpy. During transportation, the apples get smashed and bruised, making it hard to sell them for a good price.

The village officials often make public announcements over the village radio station, asking the young and the strong to help fix the roads. However, no one helps. They are too busy playing cards and mahjong, and chatting with each other in their downtime. The villagers say, “If you want us to help, you've got to pay us first. We won't work if you don't pay us enough.”

Seeing that the situation was not going to improve, in 2005 I decided to do what I could to fix the roads. I loaded small steel shovels, sledgehammers, picks, and other tools used in road construction in a small metal cart, and began to fix the roads.

All year round, for many years, I repaired the road from the village entrance to the farm area. I was often covered in sweat and dirt. The villagers praised me for my volunteer work, but no one offered to help. The village women, while washing clothes in the river, often say, “Look at that Falun Dafa practitioner. He is so nice, and does not ask to be compensated for fixing the road. We wish there were more Falun Dafa practitioners in our village!”

During a meeting, the village secretary said, “What are the Party members doing? Look at the Falun Dafa practitioner. He goes out every day, and voluntarily repairs the roads. You Party members should be ashamed of yourselves!”

Besides fixing the roads in my village, I also repair the roads in the neighboring village. The villagers there often ask me, “Why are you repairing the roads in our village? Do you have apple trees here?” I told them, “I don't have any apple trees here. I practice Falun Dafa, and Master Li teaches us to do things according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. So I'm fixing your roads.”

The villagers are always very grateful and say to me, “Thank you so much! Falun Dafa practitioners are truly good people! We would like to learn the practice when the Chinese Communist Party ends the persecution.”