(Minghui.org) A ten-day Minghui summer camp was held in Lot-et-Garonne, France, in mid-August, 2017. Young Falun Dafa practitioners who participated in the camp enjoyed a rich agenda, including Fa study, group exercises, learning traditional Chinese dance and culture, storytelling, and others. The adult practitioners also improved in their cultivation along with the children.

Starting the Day with Group Exercise

With birds chirping, the adults and children practitioners started each day with group exercises early in the morning. They studied the Fa after the exercises and held a variety of activities during the day. Children sent forth righteous thoughts and shared their understanding of the Fa in the evenings. After they went to bed, the teachers and parent volunteers shared their experiences with each other.

Morning exercises at Minghui Summer Camp in France.

Dance class

Finding Cultivation Peers in Summer Camp

The children ranged in age from 17 months to 17 years. Robin, who had just graduated from high school, said he came to the camp to look for cultivators his age, so that they could communicate with each other and improve together. He was happy to find fellow practitioners around his age at the camp.

Five-year-old Augustin had been looking forward to the Minghui Summer Camp all year so that he could play with his fellow-practitioner friends. He used to be rather naughty, but Falun Dafa cultivation practice has made him a well-behaved boy.

Six-year-old Oceane enjoyed the classic Chinese dance and had been looking forward to the dance classes.

Five-year-old Yangyang used to have trouble communicating. His doctor thought he had autism. Teachers at the camp were especially patient with him and never lost confidence in him, even though he was a challenge when it came to class management. Some teachers sent forth righteous thoughts for him. Others reminded other children to treat him nicely, as Dafa cultivators would do.

During the ten-day camp, Yangyang became able to concentrate longer and longer during the classes. He could raise questions after hearing a story and copied the dance movements. He eventually joined the other children at group dance, group exercise, and sending forth righteous thoughts. Other children took the initiative to talk with him and lead him into activities. Yangyang gradually became one of the happy campers.

Mini Experience-Sharing Conference

A mini experience sharing conference was held at the end of the camp. Children Falun Dafa practitioners decorated the wall with golden paper Falun they had made and shared their understandings of cultivation with pure hearts.

Samentha said that the death of a family member had made her realize everyone played a role in this fleeting life. She felt that as a cultivator, she had a huge responsibility, and needed to think beyond her own family and be compassionate to all people.

Nolan shared his cultivation experience.

Little Nolan shared his experience of finding the courage to clarify the facts of Falun Dafa to his classmates. He had asked for a leave from school to go to an experience sharing conference in New York. Before he left, his teacher asked if he would tell everyone why he had visited the United States after he returned. He prepared a presentation introducing Falun Dafa. Though the teacher completely forgot about it, Nolan found the courage to remind his teacher about it, overcame his fear of being laughed at by his classmates, and gave the presentation. His classmates didn't laugh at him. Instead, they said Nolan was very kind.

Teachers and parents volunteered to shoulder the cost and work throughout the camp. They cooked, managed the children, and taught classes. By the end of camp, all the adults and children felt they had made great progress in their cultivation and were ready for a new page in their life.