(Minghui.org) I am a female Falun Dafa practitioner who lives in a rural area. I am nearing 60 years old. Over the past 20-plus years of practicing Falun Dafa, I’ve experienced hardships, but Dafa’s beauty and happiness were a much greater experience.
A Hard Life Before Practicing Dafa
Before I got married, I was frail and weak. My parents worked hard to support me through high school, but I wasn’t able to get into college. Wherever I went to find work, people would say I didn’t look like someone who could do farm work. But I live in the countryside. I often blamed myself for having such bad luck.
Four months after I married, I contracted tuberculous pleurisy. I had headaches and was so weak that I couldn’t walk. Sometimes, when I lay in bed, I couldn’t move or get up. Out of desperation, I enshrined a spirit tablet.
About a week after my son was born, I had a high fever. I was taken to the hospital by ambulance and diagnosed with tuberculosis. My husband’s health was also bad. The villagers looked down on our family and described us as “not capable of anything, except being sick.”
For about 10 years, in the midst of hardship and hopeless suffering, I kept asking myself, what is all this for?
Good Fortune Fell from the Sky
I remember the day very well: it was in December 1998, at a local market fair. I heard joyful music. Following the sound, I saw a crowd of people doing a type of qigong exercise. I was told that it was Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa). I was excited and immediately wanted to learn it. As soon as I got home, I went to see the Falun Dafa practitioners in my village. I had obtained the Fa! It was like good fortune falling from the sky!
After I started to practice Dafa, Master cleansed my home environment and my body. I was finally illness free! It was like a window was opened in my heart, and my whole world lit up. Five days after I started the practice, I burned the spirit tablet.
In one of Master’s lectures, he mentioned a practitioner who said that, although he could not see anything in other dimensions, he was determined to follow Master and cultivate to the end. At that moment, I said to myself: "I will follow Master and cultivate to the end!"
Over the last 20-plus years, I have followed Master’s teachings to be a good person. People around me witnessed the wonder of Dafa.
Relatives Saw That Dafa Is Good by How I Cared for My Mother-in-law
After my father-in-law passed away many years ago, my mother-in-law lived with her eldest son, my husband’s older brother, and took care of her two granddaughters and great-grandson. Yet my mother-in-law was quite mean to my family, and she never took care of my son.
In December 2016, she needed care after she had surgery. I thought it was our responsibility to take care of her, regardless of how she treated us. So we took care of my mother-in-law during the winter, while her eldest son took care of her in the summer. In order to better care for her, my husband and I bought an apartment unit in 2017. This situation lasted for three years, until my 85-year-old mother-in-law passed away in May 2020.
She was hospitalized seven times before she passed away. Each time, my husband’s eldest brother’s family, his sister’s family, and my family took turns caring for her. The whole time, I was responsible for providing three meals a day for her. I prepared her meals with my whole heart and made sure she had delicious food. Whatever she wanted to eat, that’s what I provided, regardless of the cost. I am a cultivator, and Master asked me to think of others first, so I did.
During that period of time, my sister-in-law was also once hospitalized. I prepared meals for her, too. She had diabetes, so I had to prepare one kind of food for her and another type for my mother-in-law.
One day, when the rain was pouring down, wearing a worn-out raincoat and boots, I pushed my bicycle, with a covered bucket of cooked food hanging on the handlebars. I was a mile away from the hospital, and it was very difficult to walk in the thunderstorm. Then I suddenly remembered that my mother-in-law said she wanted to eat some chicken necks. Thus, I parked my bike under the eaves and went to quickly buy some. I also went to buy pancakes for my sister-in-law, and then put them inside my coat, close to my body, to keep them warm.
My boots were filled with water, and my clothes was soaked through. When I arrived at the hospital, I saw that my mother-in-law and sister-in-law were waiting for me in the corridor. They said the patient in the next room told them not to wait for me to bring them food and offered to lend them their small electric cooker. The patient said, “Just cook some porridge. Your daughter-in-law won’t come in such terrible weather.” My mother-in-law responded, “We don’t need to cook porridge. My daughter-in-law will come with food even if it’s raining sharp knives!”
There have also been times when I did not cultivate very well. One morning, after I watered only half of the greenhouse, the circuit breaker tripped and the wires started to smoke. To finish watering the plants, I had to get water from the well, and hurried to do so. I was rushing to go cook for my mother-in-law, and I fell in the field. My pants were completely soaked. It was 10:30 a.m. and I had to go home to cook.
That day was the second day of the second month of the lunar calendar, and according to custom, I should buy pork head meat. As soon as I walked out of the greenhouse, I found that the bicycle tire was flat. I pushed the bicycle to a repair shop and asked them to fix it as quickly as possible. The repairman said the quickest way was to change the inner tube, which would cost more than 10 yuan, while it would only cost three yuan to patch the tube. I made a quick decision and decided to replace the tube, as it would be faster. After that, I hurried to buy vegetables and pork head meat, and didn’t delay my mother-in-law’s meal.
It was a very cold day. As I was pushing the bicycle uphill, I felt sorry for myself. I was wearing a pair of thin trousers, and my socks were wet. I forgot to change because I was in a hurry.
I began to recite Master’s Fa:
“When it’s difficult to endure, you can endure it. When it’s impossible to do, you can do it.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
Gradually, my heart became peaceful. After recalling this Fa, I knew I shouldn’t have felt sorry for myself.
My mother-in-law was hospitalized again in March 2020. At the same time, my older brother’s wife had a stroke, and he had to take care of her. My husband also had health issues, and sometimes his resting heart rate was as high as 100. My husband’s older sister had diabetes and high blood pressure, so she couldn’t take care of my mother-in-law in the hospital either. However, she arranged for my niece to cook for my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law was quite picky about food. For example, she requested a bowl of two-grain porridge, not too watery nor dry, but just right. She also wanted three to six small fried fish, not too hard nor too soft; and a separate dish that had to be soft in texture. When my niece heard this, she lay in bed and cried.
When I learned this, I thought: as a cultivator, I should consider others first. So I volunteered to take care of my mother-in-law in the hospital. I asked my brother-in-law to replace me at the hospital for one hour for each meal, so I could go home to cook. I let go of my personal interests and took care of my mother-in-law wholeheartedly.
Taking care of her was not easy. Every hour, she urinated and the urine had to be collected and poured into a bottle to measure the amount, so the doctor could prescribe her medication based on it. Sometimes the urine went all over my hands and feet. If I didn’t practice Falun Dafa, I would definitely not be able to handle this. At times, I had just fallen asleep for two minutes, when my mother-in-law called me wanting to urinate. After a while of trying to collect the urine, she couldn’t urinate. I told her to take her time and not to worry. After a while, I looked again, and there was still no urine. I didn’t get annoyed or angry, and I was considerate of her. As a result, I barely had a chance to sleep.
My family made a living by growing greenhouse crops. During that period of time, I could not take care of my greenhouse, so I asked a practitioner nearby to help by lifting the curtains to let in the air. When I went to check it later, I found the pepper seedlings had fallen over and the grass had grown very tall. Then I gave it up, realizing I could not take care of everything.
For each meal, I needed to prepare different foods for my mother-in-law and my husband. My mother-in-law told me what she wanted to eat for each meal, and I always satisfied her. I rode my bike home from the hospital, cooked porridge and other dishes, and rushed back to deliver the food. Oftentimes, I didn’t even have time to eat, and broke the eating habits I had followed for years. I never mentioned it to my mother-in-law. With the tight schedule, and that I was always in a hurry, my inner clothes were always soaked with sweat.
In May 2020, my mother-in-law passed away peacefully in the hospital. In dealing with things afterward, my husband and I did not argue with anyone about any money or gifts, and there was no conflict.
Through taking care of my mother-in-law, my husband’s sister and brother changed their views and attitudes toward me completely. Due to the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Dafa, his sister used to look down on me. His brother complained about my husband not “controlling” me, meaning he did not stop me from practicing Dafa. They did not believe that practicing Dafa was good until it touched on their interests. They began to talk to me nicely and show concern about me. I knew that they genuinely acknowledged me from the bottom of their hearts, and acknowledged that Falun Dafa is good.
My brother-in-law’s two children also changed their views on Dafa. My brother-in-law’s wife practiced Falun Dafa. However, after she had the stroke, her children developed negative thoughts toward Dafa. My niece could not understand why her mother got ill after more than 20 years of cultivation, so my niece no longer believed in Dafa. They even refused to let other practitioners visit their mother. Through the ordeal with my mother-in-law, my niece said it was her mother who did not cultivate well, and it was not Dafa’s fault. She even commented, “It would be all good if my mother cultivated like my aunt.” Now, their mother has found her shortcomings in cultivation and has been recovering rapidly.
A relative used to stand up and leave as soon as I mentioned Dafa. Now, he talks to me nicely. I knew he witnessed that Dafa is good.
Relatives and friends no longer looked down on my family. They began to take the initiative to buy generous gifts for us during the holidays. Of course we repaid them in kind. They showed the gratitude of a person who understands the truth.
Everyone Is Grateful to Dafa and Master
During the time that my mother-in-law was hospitalized, my younger brother’s wife was illegally detained for practicing Falun Dafa. She had been the pillar of her family since my brother suffered from femoral necrosis and her in-laws (my parents) were nearly 80 years old. Her children were in college and needed money. I said to my parents, “The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took your daughter-in-law to jail. We should support her family. Master will arrange everything for us.” She made a living for her family by growing greenhouse crops. So I began to take care of their greenhouse in addition to my family’s.
One time during a heavy snow, the snow on top of the greenhouses had to be cleared before sunrise. I thought: My sister-in-law is not home, and I don’t want her greenhouse to be damaged. So I got up at 3:00 a.m. and cleaned her greenhouse first. There was a miracle that year. Other people’s corn seedlings yielded small stalks, but my sister-in-law’s stalks were very tall , even though no one watered them. She cultivated in Dafa well, and my mother believed in Dafa very much. My mother bowed to Master in the field and asked Master to bless them.
One winter’s day, my mother felt a sharp pain in her upper lip, and started screaming in pain. My father and brother helped her to lie down. She kept reciting, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” She then felt something come out from her upper lip, and the pain soon disappeared. When she described to me what happened, I saw an egg-sized bruise around her upper lip. From then on, my mother believed in Dafa even more, and often offered incense to Master.
That year, my sister-in-law’s greenhouse generated enough money for her family to live on. Master protected her family. It is just as Master said:
“Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
At that time, I was taking care of my mother-in-law as well as the two greenhouses. To save time, I chose to grow simple and easy-to-manage vegetables. Miraculously, the celery in my sister-in-law’s greenhouse grew so well in the first year that it sold for nearly three times higher than usual. Later, I planted other vegetables. In total, the income from our greenhouses made more money than when my sister-in-law was at home.
Another miracle happened to my sister-in-law’s greenhouse. The plastic cover on the greenhouse usually had to be replaced once a year, and even high quality ones would only last for two years. My sister-in-law’s plastic cover lasted for four years!
Moreover, there was a hailstorm that year, and other farmers had to replace the covers on their greenhouses. But the hail didn’t seem to have hit the plastic cover on my sister-in-law’s greenhouse! Even the seedlings that my mother planted in front of the greenhouse were not damaged. My mother was moved by Dafa’s mighty power, and said, “Master Li really protected us!”
When my sister-in-law was released, I returned a well-maintained greenhouse to her. During the time she was detained, I met her parents. I learned that her mother was terminally ill, and thought I should help them. So in addition to preparing food for my mother-in-law, I also brought food to my sister-in-law’s parents who were also in the hospital. I often bought food her elderly mother liked to eat. If I could not cook the dish well, I would buy it for them. I also told them to recite, “Falun Dafa is good.”
My mother-in-law was discharged from the hospital. One evening it was raining heavily, and I thought about my sister-in-law’s parents, who were still in the hospital. They were not familiar with the area around the hospital, and I wondered if they knew where to buy food. I rushed to the hospital and saw that her elderly father was unable to get food for himself. I immediately went out and bought some cooked rice, stir-fried meat, pigs feet, and a bottle of beer, and gave them to the elderly man. He was so grateful, and always said what a good person I was.
In fact, I did not think I did anything special. I only did what a Dafa practitioner should do.
All the Villagers Said I Am Blessed by Dafa
Miracles also manifested at my greenhouse. Due to lack of time, I rarely managed my greenhouse. However, while growing the same peppers as others did, my greenhouse made 25% more profit than others in our village.
In the 20-plus years of my practicing Dafa, my husband, who is not a practitioner, also benefited. His health has been very good. Sometimes, he imitated me and did the sitting meditation, while reciting “Falun Dafa is good.” My husband was the oldest worker in his workplace, and was on the company’s layoff list. However, after he quietly fixed a furnace there, the company kept him on and gave him good pay.
My son had studied computer science and was recruited to work in a large company. The minimum requirement for employment there was graduating from a top university. However, my son attended only a second-tier university, yet he was still selected. Now, he has a good monthly salary, and he has no bad habits, such as smoking and drinking. People who heard this were surprised. An elderly gentleman said to me, “Your practice of Falun Dafa really paid off! Your family is blessed!”
I became known in our village for helping others. When the village called for help to pave the road, I took a big shovel and worked alone. Once, in order to help a relative harvest corn, I didn’t take care of my own fields. I bought coal for my mother-in-law who lived at my brother-in-law’s house, while I never bought coal for my own house. In order to prevent the surrounding villagers’ fields from floods, I dug a ditch in my field that was 360 feet long, 5 feet deep, and more than 6 feet wide. The ditch took up more than half an acre of land and reduced my annual income by more than 1,000 yuan. The villagers saw my kindness and praised me highly. I was famous in the area. Everyone knew me, and even Christians exclaimed: “Falun Dafa is really good!”
In fact, all I did was follow Master’s teachings to be a good person. Everything is given by Master. I would be nothing without Master and Dafa.
I want to represent my entire family in thanking Master for his salvation! I hope that everyone in the world knows that Falun Dafa is good, and will make it through the disaster safely!
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