(Minghui.org) This year, our local practitioners dedicated a lot of energy to promoting Shen Yun in Los Angeles. We launched a comprehensive campaign that reached every profession and social level, used almost every method we could think of, and continued until the last day of the show. We cooperated as one body with unwavering determination. I felt incredibly lucky and deeply honored to be part of this team.
My main duty was managing a booth at various events to introduce Shen Yun to people face-to-face, share facts about Falun Dafa when the topic came up, and sell tickets to the show. During these events, we often encountered people influenced by misinformation spread by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Some even went so far as to discourage others from showing interest in Shen Yun and to spread false information. I would like to share some of my experiences.
Facing Challenges
Over the past two years, the CCP has carried out information and legal warfare to suppress Falun Dafa outside of China, and has made Shen Yun the main target. Given the struggles we face, along with chaos and natural disasters around the world, the evil forces are desperately trying to drag people down. Master Li wants to save all sentient beings. We must clarify the truth about Dafa using various means and save individuals at every level of society. Therefore, we need to expand our outreach efforts and reach every available avenue.
Shen Yun is already a household name, and seeing the show is on many people’s bucket lists. In theory, selling tickets at a booth shouldn’t be difficult. Besides common obstacles like scheduling conflicts, finding practitioners to participate, or consulting with family, the biggest challenge this year was that some people had been misled by disinformation from mainstream media and certain social media influencers. Some even discouraged their companions from talking to us, thus preventing us from speaking with them. Others showed their resistance and objections through silent, cold looks. Therefore, we needed strong righteous thoughts, a focused mindset, and Master’s support. Although ticket sales were slow at times, I often reminded myself: “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun).
At the booth, I often told people how successful Shen Yun shows are in France. Last year, over 200,000 tickets were sold; 250,000 tickets are expected to be sold this year with many theaters selling out three months before the shows; some people have even booked tickets for 2027.
When I showed interested people what seats were available for purchase, they noticed that many were unsold. I shared facts about the CCP’s transnational suppression and smear campaign against Shen Yun over the past year, which had affected ticket sales. I gave them a flyer providing details about the CCP’s tactics.
During the weekends that I wasn’t scheduled for any events, I handed out Shen Yun flyers at busy public places.
Stories From the Booth
At a street market in Westlake, I handed a Shen Yun flyer to a woman passing by and said, “This is a gift from the Creator.” She was so touched that she immediately hugged me. She was running a honey stall at the event that day and later insisted on giving me a jar of honey. I sensed she must have made a connection with Shen Yun in her heart. Although she didn’t buy a ticket that day, I believe she will definitely see Shen Yun.
At another farmers’ market, when a mother and daughter walked past our booth, I said, “Shen Yun is a gift from the Gods, it’s a show that can change your life.” After walking by, they returned. The mother, who came from Germany to visit her daughter, was leaving in a few days. When I told her the cities where Shen Yun would be performing in Germany, she was overjoyed. I gifted her a small lotus flower and showed her the Falun Dafa website.
The Downey Christmas Parade and Holiday Market took place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the organizers required us to arrive at 8:00 a.m. The event included a Christmas parade that finished at 3:15 p.m. Many people left after the parade and didn’t visit the market area. There was less traffic around our booth than expected, so we were idle most of the time. I started to feel anxious, thinking I had wasted my time there. Surprisingly, someone stopped by about 45 minutes before we closed and bought 10 tickets.
There were still quite a few unsold tickets the last weekend before the Long Beach performance, so we went back to the farmers’ market on Sunday. It was a very hot day, and my partner looked tired. With few people taking flyers, I began to lose my righteous thinking. Although I thought about leaving earlier, we decided to stay until the end. In the final hour, a lady came to buy tickets. Although she didn’t have a credit card, I reserved the seats for her and completed the sale later over the phone. Then a mother and daughter came to buy tickets. I was glad we hadn’t left early and missed these predestined people.
For most events, the organizers required vendors to arrive two to three hours before the event opened. One day, after we finished setting up, instead of staying at the booth, I went to hand out flyers on the street next to the farmers’ market. To my surprise, after accepting a flyer, some people later came to our booth to buy tickets.
We went to a wine festival that was an hour-and-a-half drive away. We arrived at 9 a.m. and the festival started at 12 p.m. After setting up our booth, we visited the farmers’ market next to the festival and handed out flyers. One person bought two of the most expensive tickets on the spot.
Most of the people buying tickets at our booth have heard of Shen Yun before. At a home furnishing exhibition, a mother told us her son had wanted to see Shen Yun since elementary school. Now, he was 27, and she had finally bought the tickets. Every effort we make, and each flyer we hand out, is like planting a seed; some of these seeds bloom and bear fruit within a year, while others might take three to five years or even longer—more than a decade—but none of it is in vain.
These experiences have made me realize deeply that Master is always beside us. As long as we act with our hearts and put in the effort, we will not miss any predestined people. In saving people, perseverance and righteous thoughts are essential. Especially when facing difficulties, we must stay diligent. Master has arranged for every person in the audience to be there. We must do our work wholeheartedly, and Master will bring sentient beings to us.
Conclusion
The last three shows in our region took place in Long Beach, where two performances were completely sold out, and overall ticket sales were 92%. Although we regret that not all tickets were sold and there is still room for improvement in many areas, fellow practitioners gave their utmost effort despite difficult circumstances.
I am very fortunate to be part of the Los Angeles Dafa group. I remind myself that, like a small screw, I must tighten myself and unconditionally cooperate with the overall arrangements. Only when every screw is tightly secured can we ensure there will be no loopholes.
No matter what challenges we face, we must firmly believe in Master and Dafa, devote ourselves wholeheartedly, persevere until the end, and act without expecting anything in return. “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun). Master is always by our side, watching over us.
All content published on this website is copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
