(Minghui.org) Greetings, our Esteemed Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
Time flies! It is already the 9th China Fahui on Minghui.org. When I recall events from this past year, I feel like there is nothing special to write about. But after sharing with other practitioners, I thought I was being selfish and did not want to think, and didn't feel I had the time to write. At any rate, I should use this platform to talk about how Master taught me to be a good person, and how practitioners and I cooperated to save sentient beings.
Conducting Myself as a Practitioner; More than a Hundred Relatives Support My Truth Clarification Efforts to Save Sentient Beings
My husband's parents have eight children, and an extended family of forty-seven people. My mother-in-law died in October 2010. Because she had so many children, there were many complicated issues to deal with after her death. My husband's aunt said to me, “There are so many things to take care of after your mother-in-law's death!” I asked her, “Such as?” She continued, “I've heard that the house she lived in is not yours, and the other house is not yours either.” I replied with a smile, “I can explain to them that both houses are truly mine. But if they don't believe me, they can have them. As long as I have a place to live, I won't argue with them. No matter what happens, I will try my best to give up my self interest and put the family first. It is more important that we get along.”
She looked at me stunned, and said: “My child, are you crazy? They are not just something you can give up lightly. Those are houses that are worth quite a bit of money! Did you learn this from Dafa?” I said, “Yes, Master told us in Zhuan Falun 'If something is yours, you will not lose it. If something is not yours, you will not have it even if you fight for it.' Therefore, I won't argue with them, nor hate them. They don't understand the situation, so they are welcome to inquire about it. Don't you agree?” My husband's aunt smiled at me, “You are such a good person.”
Three days after my mother-in-law was buried, all her children gathered together at the house. My father-in-law summoned them and said, “The house I'm living in now was purchased by Xiao Liang. The other house was also bought by Xiao Liang.” One of my husband's sisters chimed in, “Yes, I saw them paying for the houses.” My father-in-law continued, “I didn't pay for the house, and they are also paying for my telephone bills. You kids should stop arguing about it now.” No one said anything and stopped arguing after they heard my father-in-law's explanations. I was very touched and didn't think my father-in-law could explain things so clearly. Peace and serenity was once again restored in our family.
After my mother-in-law was gone, taking care of my 88-year-old father-in-law became an issue. Everyone said we should ask what my father-in-law wanted to do. He replied, “Yuming is a Falun Dafa practitioner, so she is going to treat me well. I'm not going to live with any of you, but I want her family to come live with me.” I said, “That won't be a problem. I'm not a talkative person and enjoy reading. It will be fine as long as you don't think I'm ignoring you.”
Before I became a practitioner, I was somewhat eccentric. I rarely touched things used by others. Whenever we had guests staying overnight, I would clean up everything the next day. Although I changed a lot after the practice, I could not rid myself of the attachment completely. When my friends heard that I was going to live with my father-in-law, they commented, “You should really think about this. There is a saying, 'It's easier to coax two children than an elderly person.' You won't be living with him for a day or two.” I thought to myself, “It all depends on how I handle the situation. Who among us is not going to get old? Wouldn't I be too selfish if I just think of myself?” Therefore, I made the right choice of living with my elderly father-in-law.
In order to take care of my father-in-law, I moved from a spacious bright house to a 45-square-meter, one-bedroom place. He felt nostalgic and didn't want to get rid of the old furniture. I was only able to move in with one bed, so one can imagine how inconvenient it was. But at the same time, I could understand his mentality. Older people usually pay attention to their children's reactions and don't want their children to think they are a nuisance to them. Therefore, I paid attention to many details. For example, I was always very careful and gentle when I placed the dishes on the dining table. To avoid hurting his feelings, I shared the same dishes with him. I would lose my appetite when I saw food hanging on the corner of his mouth, or when he used the chopsticks to pick his teeth. Then I noticed none of that bothered my husband or child. I thought it was an attachment that I had, and it was not part of me. Nothing would happen to me if I ate the food. I tried to eat the food, and nothing bad happened to me.
My father-in-law would get the toilet seat cover wet when he used the bathroom. If I didn't pay attention, I would get myself wet when I used the toilet after him. To avoid embarrassing him, I quietly cleaned the toilet seat cover.
Parents are children's first teachers in life. The kids imitate everything the parents do. Now my son and his wife are both very filial and take good care of the elderly. They often buy fruit for my father-in-law, and help him wash his feet and clip his toe nails. Although we are not wealthy, we live a happy, warm, and harmonious life as a family. Master helped me and changed my life, and I'm grateful for everything Master has given me, including a blissful family life. Now I'm a healthy and happy person, and full of hope and optimism.
My husband's brothers and sisters gathered together for this year's Chinese New Years celebration. When they noticed my father-in-law was in good spirits and had gained some weight, they were very happy and thanked us. My husband's youngest sister said to me in tears, “Dear sister-in-law, I'm so thankful that you took such good care of dad. We feel very relieved!” I smiled back and said, “Please don't thank me. You should thank my Master! For He transformed me, taught me to be a good person, so that I'm able to take good care of your dad.” They all replied, “We thank Master!”
Two days before I wrote my sharing paper, my father-in-law stayed at my youngest sister-in-law's house for a couple of days. They invited us over for dinner. My youngest sister-in-law said emotionally, “Dear sister-in-law, I really have to thank you. Now I know how hard it is to take care of dad. I understand what you are going through.” She then gave us 1,000 yuan to buy clothes.
Now the brothers and sisters have all obtained a copy of Zhuan Falun. My husband and my father-in-law are also practicing. My father-in-law said to me, “I know you are saving sentient beings, but I don't think I can do that!” I replied, “Whenever we have guests and relatives visiting us, you tell them the truth about Dafa. So you are saving them as well. When you cultivate well and are healthy, I don't have to spend too much time taking care of you and can do the three things. Don't you think you are helping as well?” Now my husband is taking care of most of the household chores, and I don't have to take care of my son and his wife, thus, allowing me to go out and clarify the truth. I can come and go anytime I want. My sister's children and my son know how to drive and have helped me with much truth clarification work. My youngest brother-in-law said, “Sister-in-law, when I can afford a new car, you are welcome to use it whenever you want.” I thanked him for his kind gesture.
When my aunt came to visit us, she said, “I know you are very busy. Please do what you need to do. We will take care of the meal.” I replied, “Thank you! When the truth is revealed in the future. You will understand what I'm doing.” She said, “No need to wait till then. We already understand it now.”
As of now, more than one hundred of my relatives and my husband's relatives have quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. I'm truly happy for them, as they are positioning themselves correctly.
Cooperating Well as One Body and Elevating Together
Practitioners with different skills are responsible for different tasks. For example, some are drivers, others are experts in technology; some are in charge of buying supplies, and others run errands and work as messengers. There are also those who are responsible for locating former practitioners. One practitioner is very down to earth. He says time is critical and it is crucial that we save sentient beings. He bought a car to take practitioners wherever we need to go. We visit the villages about three to five times per month. We give him money for the gas, but he always refuses to take it. He wants us to spend the money on truth clarification materials, and insists on being responsible for all the expenses related to the car. Practitioners who take care of technological issues are always ready to help. The past few years, they took care of installing computer systems, and maintaining and fixing printers, while keeping their daytime job. They've never complained and are always patient. They have contributed greatly to support the material production sites.
Practitioners who act as the messengers are quick and efficient. Whenever we issue notices about sending forth righteous thoughts, or other matters, they immediately spread the news to other practitioners. In less than one day, the news is spread from here to other villages and townships. They have helped our county and the surrounding areas become one body. Those who are responsible for sending automated recorded messages have done a lot of work. They introduced it to almost all practitioners in the county, so we are able to make truth clarification phone calls to other provinces and autonomous regions in the nation. We also have practitioners who are in charge of sending materials through the postal mail, and they have covered most provinces across the nation. Practitioners who install New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) satellite dishes have worked very hard as well. Besides their regular job, they have visited many townships and villages during their time off, to help people install equipment to watch truthful news from NTDTV.
Practitioners who are responsible for finding former practitioners have done a great deal of work. During the last three to four years, they have covered the entire county, more than a dozen villages and townships, and found and brought back more than one hundred practitioners. We realized the urgency of bringing back former practitioners after reading Master's lecture, “20th Anniversary Fa Teaching.” Master said,
“A while back, some Dafa disciples had not yet stepped forward, so we had to wait and do our best to have them come forth. But the time for this is running out. When I saw students who came out of China, I urged them to tell the students who haven’t stepped forward to quickly do so—to have them quickly find those lost students and spell the facts out for them, for what they otherwise face is a most tragic of ends. Cultivation is no trifling matter. And that’s especially so for Dafa disciples, who shoulder such great historic missions. Bound up in that mission is the survival, the life or death, of simply countless beings. Wouldn’t you call that something major? It’s a huge thing.” (“20th Anniversary Fa Teaching”)
We downloaded related articles from Minghui website and made two hundred small booklets for former practitioners. The effect was also good when practitioners in our county helped bring back those around them.
There are endless stories to tell. I feel so touched whenever I see fellow practitioners. We have formed a large body under the cooperation of fellow practitioners. Every day and every week, there is a designated group of practitioners from the villages, townships, and county that send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the bad elements in our area that block practitioners from saving sentient beings. After we set aside the time for Fa study, we selected two days per month, for practitioners in the county to send forth righteous thoughts as a group, at a set time, to thoroughly eliminate the evil elements that interfere with our truth clarification efforts to save sentient beings.
In the past few years, practitioners in our region have been steadily clarifying the truth to save sentient beings. We have visited many villages and clarified the truth door to door, and many people have quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. There are also many merchants and cab drivers who quit as well.
Helping Practitioners from Nearby Areas
While doing a good job in our area, we also help nearby county's practitioners as well. This February, practitioners from a far away place that is part of a nearby county, weren't able to connect with practitioners in their county. They asked us to go there to help them with certain issues. Due to safety reasons, they could not explain things over the phone, so I said I would visit them the next day.
The next day, the driver, the technology expert, the messenger, and I drove over the mountain and arrived at a township more than one hundred kilometers away. We shared with three of the practitioners in the township. They were very excited and happy to see us. I asked them how we could help them. A female practitioner replied, “I'm so glad you can come here. Our place is located on the borderline of the two counties, and no one can reach us. It takes us fifteen days to receive news from the Minghui website. We are unable to keep up with the latest news for our truth clarification materials. Although I'm in my thirties and am still young, I'm not educated. I'm very anxious about the situation in our area but I cannot think of a solution. I really don't know anything.” She began to cry, and I asked her to not rush and to speak slowly. She wiped her tears and continued, “By the time we give the material to people, the news is already over two weeks old.”
A 76-year-old practitioner said, “In order to deliver the materials, I have to ride a bicycle for more than forty kilometers. One time it snowed very hard. By the time I came back, my feet were frozen in the shoes and my pants were wet from sweat.” We were all moved to tears by this elderly practitioner. They asked us, “Can you please help us set up a material production site and teach us how to operate the equipment? Then we can make the materials ourselves.” I said, “That would be great! We will work together and fulfill your request.” They were very touched and had teary eyes, and we were moved by their pure hearts.
The practitioners in that area make about seven thousand yuan annually per household. It would be hard on them to come up with the money all at once. They asked if we could buy the equipment first, and they would pay us back in several payments. I said, “Our financial situation is better than yours. As long as you can make the materials and be responsible for the sentient beings in the forty kilometers radius within your area, then we will try our best to help you.” They were so happy and cried. I said, “It is our fault for not knowing your difficulties. From now on, we are one body, and let's work together to solve the problems.”
Several days later we drove the equipment to this little town. We helped them install and test the machines. Then we taught them how to download and print the information. By the time we returned home, it was almost midnight, time for sending forth righteous thoughts. We went there three times and drove a total of six hundred kilometers. The driver paid for all the gas expenses and refused to accept our money.
One day in early May, I heard that a township in a nearby county with more than one hundred practitioners prior to the persecution, only has about a dozen practitioners now. All these years, practitioners in the city have been providing them materials. The drive there is very inconvenient and it takes two days to deliver the materials. Other practitioners had given them the equipment, but later took it back since no one was using them. There was no practitioner in the nearby area of twenty some villages. Practitioners in the township were very anxious and asked if we could help them. I said, “We can help. Let me contact a few practitioners, and we will be there tomorrow.”
The next day, a group of us drove one hundred kilometers to the township. Practitioners there greeted us as if we were their family. They were very grateful and had tears in their eyes. One of them said, “There used to be more than one hundred practitioners here. After July 20, 1999, many of them were afraid of the CCP's persecution and stopped practicing. My brother, who was a local assistant, is not practicing now, and many people followed in his footsteps. He would be able to bring back many former practitioners if he practices again.”
A practitioner asked if they could bring him here so that we could share with him. They said that people were busy working in the field. So we decided to see him in the field. We drove about fifteen kilometers to the brother's house. He was reluctant to see us. We talked about the blissful days prior to July 20. We shared with him, “Master does not want to let any practitioner fall behind. It is not a coincidence that we are here today. We learned the Fa and are shouldering a historical mission, which involves the survival of immeasurable lives. We should not be selfish and only care about profit and gains. In the crucial moment of returning to our true home, if we cannot pass certain tests or overcome some hardships, and choose to withdraw from or even give up the practice, then how are we going to face the sentient beings that have set their hopes on us? How could we repay Master, who has been protecting and helping us? The Fa-rectification process is not over yet, and there is still time and opportunity for you to come back now. Please do not miss this once in a lifetime opportunity.” He seemed a bit more relaxed and was moved. It was then time to send forth righteous thoughts at noon time. So I suggested, “Let's send forth righteous thoughts together. From now on, you are a particle of Dafa.” He smiled. We taught him the hand gestures and verses to send forth righteous thoughts. A former practitioner has finally returned.
We returned to the house of the coordinator in the afternoon, and there were several practitioners waiting for us. One of them was a brand new practitioner, some others have been practicing for three, five, and eight months. I asked if they had access to Master's new lectures and could visit the Minghui website. The male practitioner who has been practicing for three months said, “I can visit the Minghui website,” and I saw him use an anti-block software to access the website. He copied an article from Minghui, without using any security settings or download software. I smiled and pulled him to the side. I reminded him gently, “You are very clever. Next time I will bring the practitioner who is a computer expert. He will help you set up a security system for your computer. It will be more convenient and safer. We will give you a printer. Do you think you can make the materials?” He agreed, and I said, “That is great! This will solve the problem in your area.” We didn't come home till late in the evening.
A few days later, we put all the necessary equipment in the car, and drove one hundred kilometers to the the township. We installed and tested the machines, and taught them to use the printer. Another material production site was established. As of now, these practitioners have cooperated well with each other. The female practitioners stay home to make the materials, and the male practitioners ride their motorcycles to distribute the materials. The residents of the twenty plus villages around them are able read truth clarification information.
In the past six months, we've helped practitioners in nearby counties establish three material production sites. This has had a tremendous effect in saving sentient beings in their local areas.
I know that I have not done enough and am still far from the requirements of Dafa. When I recall my experiences this past year, I realized that Master has been protecting me, and I have been moving forward with the encouragement of fellow practitioners. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our benevolent Master and practitioners around me. In the remaining days, I will study the Fa well, cultivate myself solidly, save more sentient beings, let go of the attachment to “self,” and cooperate with other practitioners. At the same time, I'm determined to fulfill Master's requirements, do the three things well, shoulder the sacred historic responsibility, be a diligent and upright Dafa disciple, and return home with Master.
Please kindly point out anything inappropriate. Heshi.
