[Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day] People Have Risked Their Lives to Help Me

(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa in 2008. However, Before that I had a negative opinion of Dafa because of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) hateful propaganda. I strongly opposed my husband’s practice of Dafa. But as a result of his patience and persistent efforts to clarify the facts to me, I saw through the propaganda and eventually decided to practice Dafa.

I was shocked when I read Zhuan Falun for the first time. It completely changed my view of life, the universe, the divine, and the losses and gains in life. Looking back at my life before that, I saw how many mistakes I had made by fighting and competing for personal gain. Yet, the material gain didn’t make me happy; I just felt bitter and tired. The principles taught in Zhuan Falun opened up my heart. I understood the true meaning and purpose of life. I felt light, happy, and grounded. Now, I know why so many practitioners won’t give up their faith, even in the face of ongoing and brutal persecution. I’m proud to have joined such a group.

Master said:

“Everyone here knows that Falun Dafa is a pure land—I dare to say this. What’s the mindset our people have towards each other? Everyone is helping each other out. What’s it like when Falun Dafa practitioners get together? At our class in Guangzhou, some practitioners didn’t have any money left, and people donated hundreds of yuan to help them out. If you are in other qigong practices, such things are unheard of. Here there are so many good people doing good deeds—it happens all the time, it’s extremely common. Isn’t it a pure land?” (“Teaching the Fa in Beijing at the Zhuan Falun Publication Ceremony,” Explaining the Teachings of Zhuan Falun)

Over the past 16 years, my husband and I have been fired from our jobs, arrested multiple times, and sentenced to jail. Every time we were persecuted, we always faced a choice between life and death. We persevered in our faith, knowing that we hadn’t done anything wrong and that it’s a heavenly principle that evil can never overcome righteousness. 

Each time we experienced tribulations, not only did our faith in Dafa guide us to the right path, but the help from fellow practitioners also gave us the courage to pull through.

Friendship Sustained During Crucial Moments

Practitioner Lan and I are the same age. I’ve known her for over ten years, and we’ve been working closely on a local project. She has helped me the most in my cultivation. 

Once, the police arrested my husband and I right before our daughter was to take a college entrance exam. They didn’t know that I was practicing Falun Dafa. Their intent was to pressure my husband into giving up Dafa. They said to us, “We just want your daughter to fail the exam so she will hate you for the rest of her life.” When I refused to persuade my husband to renounce Dafa, I was detained for 30 days. 

During our detention, Lan looked after our daughter. After I was released, she worked with me to seek justice for my husband. I knew this put a lot of pressure on her. In fact, my husband was arrested while helping the family of another arrested practitioner to secure his release. Neither Lan nor I had any experience in rescuing practitioners. But she always encouraged me by saying that we would find a way. Although she lived far from me and had a busy work schedule, she always found time to visit me, study the Fa with me, and discuss possible solutions to tricky situations with me.

Lan later told me that she felt scared when she accompanied me when we contacted lawyers or visited the procuratorate, court, and other government agencies. But she thought of Master’s teachings, and that we should help each other, so she came along.

One day, we went to the police station to seek my husband’s release. The police chief questioned me about who had put up a poster about his case. She threatened to arrest me if she found evidence that I was involved. I was very nervous and scared. After leaving the police station, I told Lan that I couldn’t do this anymore; it was just too hard. She comforted me and said I could do however much I could and that I didn’t have to feel pressured. Just like that, she didn’t criticize me or blame me but gave me time to recover and break through the fear myself. 

Despite our efforts, my husband was sentenced to prison. Lan often accompanied me to visit him, which was a three-hour drive each way. However, because my husband did not renounce Dafa or stop doing the Dafa exercises, the guards often rejected his family visitation requests. Sometimes, we had to make several requests before a visit was approved. 

A few years later, I was arrested for distributing Dafa informational materials. As soon as Lan heard about it, she made cash deposits that I could use while incarcerated and wrote letters to encourage me. When my lawyer came to visit me, my husband came with her so they both got immediate updates about my case. When I stood trial, Lan went to the court to encourage me. When I was released, she waited outside the detention center to welcome me. 

I once watched a program about two Falun Dafa practitioners. When they were held in a remote labor camp, they weren’t allowed to talk to each other, but they communicated and encouraged each other using their eyes. When they later met in the United States, they were surprised and delighted to see each other. They told the program host that they felt their friendship had been tested in a life-and-death situation. Their story touched me, as it reminded me that the friendship Lan and I share is precious.

People Risked Their Lives to Help Me

One day, when I was home alone, someone knocked at the door. It sounded like several people were outside. I didn’t open the door, I just quietly walked to the window and saw a police car downstairs. Back then, I had just been released from detention, and my husband had been arrested again. I was working to secure his release, and I was concerned that I would be rearrested. 

Even though I didn’t answer the door, the police didn’t leave. I called a coworker named Cai, who also practiced Dafa. She comforted me and affirmed my decision not to let the police enter our home. She said she would try to find a way to get me out. The next few hours felt incredibly long as I waited to see what would happen. Gradually, it became quiet outside. But when I looked, the police car was still there, and an officer was sitting inside.

After it became dark, I suddenly heard someone at the door calling my name. I didn’t recognize the voice, but I had a feeling that there were practitioners. I opened the door and saw two practitioners, one I had met before but didn’t know the other. With their help, I managed to get past the police car and enter a waiting taxi. 

The practitioners told me that Cai was unable to come at that time and had asked them to help get me out. They had been nearby and keeping an eye on the police. They seized the opportunity to help me leave my apartment when the police were chatting with each other. 

I couldn’t thank those practitioners enough. I know how much danger they faced to help me. If they were caught by the police, they might also be arrested, detained, sentenced, and tortured. But they still took the risk without worrying about themselves. I knew that even my husband might not have been able to do what they did. 

One of the practitioners took me to her home. She cooked dinner for me and encouraged me with her words. The next morning, as I didn’t want to bring her any trouble, I decided to leave her home. She gave me some money and called a taxi to pick me up.

I went to Lan’s place. She said she had already arranged for me to stay with a practitioner I hadn’t met before. That practitioner offered her place to me while she went to stay with her mother. She had prepared plenty of food for me before she left.

All these years, I’ve received so much help from local practitioners, and I’m constantly touched by the warmth they give me. It purifies my heart and lets me see the gap between me and them. Their selflessness motivates me to do better on my cultivation path.

(Selected submission in celebration of World Falun Dafa Day on Minghui.org)