(Minghui.org) When my husband Li Xiang confronted the police in order to protect me, nobody would have believed he used to be a gambler and a child abuser. He did not change overnight, but his remarkable change reflects the power of Falun Dafa.
A Bad Husband and Abusive Father
My husband had a bad temper when he was young. He liked to gamble and play Mahjong. When his siblings took turns caring for his ill parents, he was always out gambling, so I had to take care of them on my own. Our two daughters disliked him because he often beat them. The younger daughter once asked her grandma in front of her father, “Grandma, who takes care of you? My mom or my dad?” Grandma replied, “Your mom, of course. Your dad plays all the time. I hardly ever see him.”
Instead of making money, my husband lost money gambling and owed a lot of debts. Someone he owed money to came to our home and demanded to be paid, saying that Li Xiang owed him 100,000 yuan. At that moment, my mind went blank. In order to pay off his debts, I had to sell our house. I paid over one million yuan to pay off his debts.
A Big Turnaround
I was desperate and considered divorce. My children said, “Mom, we’ll support you in whatever decision you make.” If we divorced, the girls would live with me so that my husband wouldn’t beat them anymore.
But I was a Falun Dafa practitioner, and I knew that divorce was not the answer. Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is an ancient mind and body practice based on Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. I decided not to get a divorce. Instead, I wanted him to learn more about Falun Dafa so that he, too, could be saved.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has persecuted Falun Dafa since July 1999, and the government controlled media defamed Falun Dafa non-stop and deceived millions of people.
I gradually started to tell my husband many things about Falun Dafa. When he was watching a movie on TV about war, I suggested that we watch a cultivation drama, He watched “The Appointing of the Gods” and then the story of King Zhou. I asked, “Do you know why NuWa punished King Zhou?” To my surprise, he did, and said, “Because King Zhou wrote a lewd poem that blasphemed NuWa.” I said, “Yes. Blaspheming gods and Buddhas is a serious sin. Falun Dafa is of the Buddha School and cannot be persecuted.”
To support our family, he wanted to earn a living, but he had no skills and no experience. He didn’t even know how to find a job. I decided to work with him. We tried to run a small catering business, but it was hard work. He later worked in construction. People who knew him couldn’t believe he would do such a strenuous job.
The persecution of Falun Dafa affects not only its practitioners but also their family members, who can be illegally imprisoned, harassed by the authorities, and discriminated against.
My husband did not object to my practicing, but he didn’t want me to talk to people about Falun Dafa and the persecution because he was afraid that I might be arrested. I often slipped Falun Dafa materials and Master’s articles under his pillow. Once my daughter saw him reading one and whispered to me, “Mom, Dad is reading the materials when no one is around.”
Steady Changes
The more he read, the more he understood what happened. I suggested that he practice Falun Dafa with me, but he said, “No, I can’t. It’s too difficult to be such a good person like the book says.” However, whenever he saw discarded Falun Dafa materials, he always brought them home. Once he shouted as soon as he entered, “Look at the treasures I picked up for you! Isn’t it a sin to throw these away?”
For a while, I made truth-clarifying materials when my husband was not home. One day he came back in the middle of the day and saw I was printing pamphlets. I was stunned at first and then smiled as I explained, “Other practitioners are very busy, I want to help.” He said, “I know. You’ve done this for over a month.” After that I made materials at any time at home.
He changed even more. While the persecution is still going on, the support of a Falun Dafa practitioner’s family is very precious.
I was arrested and taken to a detention center for talking to people about Falun Gong. At that time my husband worked out of the town and only came home once in a while. He later said he felt uneasy that day and came home early. When he didn’t see me, he sensed that something happened and quickly hid all my Falun Dafa books and materials.
When he went downstairs, he saw several police officers. “Are you Ling’s husband?” they asked. “We’re here to search your house.” My husband tried to stop them but had to let them in. Then he pointed to two rooms and announced, “That is my mother’s room—you can’t go in there. That is my daughter’s room—you can’t go in there, either!” Actually that was the room where I made Falun Dafa truth-clarifying materials. The police checked my bedroom but found nothing and left.
A few years ago, I worked part-time as a hostess at a boarding school. One Friday when the community liaison, Li, found out where I worked, she pressured the principal to fire me, the only reason she gave was that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner. The principal assigned me to clean the bathrooms. I refused and resigned. When I told my husband what happened, he was angry that I was treated so unfairly and he called the liaison. “You can’t treat Ling like that,” he said. “I’ll sue you.”
When Li came to our home that afternoon, my husband told her, “You cost my wife her job, and now we will be out 3000 yuan a month. You will have to compensate us. I expect you to pay us that amount every month.” Li was afraid my husband really planned to sue her, so she apologized and tried to help me find another job in the village.
Being Blessed
My husband has been blessed because of his righteousness. When he worked at a construction site, he learned how to drive a forklift. Later he got a job driving forklift and earned 5000 yuan a month. He finally had a skill so that he could make a living.
Once when he worked at a construction site, one of his feet was crushed and his shoe was soaked with blood. The doctor said he had a comminuted fracture of his big toe and needed a cast on it. “Come back in a few days,” he said. “You won’t be able to work for the next three or four months.” I told him to recite the auspicious phrases, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” He agreed.
A few days later, the pandemic broke out. He had no chance to have the cast put on, but he healed well. He even helped to deliver food for a month during the lockdown.
Now my husband is almost 60. He has a good job as do our daughters. Their relationship with their father has improved and they often take care of him. My husband told me, “You don’t have to work. I earn enough to support our family.” I knew what he meant: He would support me so that I could spend all my time cultivating and clarifying the truth.
Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, said in Zhuan Falun, ““The Buddha-light illuminates everywhere and harmonizes everything.””
Indeed, my husband changed completed under the Buddha-light of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Thank you, Master. Thank you, Falun Dafa.
I hope more people will know about Falun Dafa and be blessed.
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