(Clearwisdom.net)

My husband and I are both over seventy years of age. We were introduced to Falun Dafa in July 1998. Before taking up the practice, I had high blood pressure, heart and kidney problems, and I often suffered from severe backaches and skin diseases. My husband often had acute backaches, and suffered from a gastric ulcer as well as varicose veins. I can't remember how many physicians we had visited or how many folk recipes we tried, but none of them seemed to work. Besides, taking the drugs produced many side effects as well. One time I was given an injection, and it nearly took my life. Later, we tried a form of qigong, but did not get much out of it.

One day around June 1998, I suddenly had an acute stomach pain. I could neither eat nor sleep. The doctors I consulted could not find the cause of the pain, and finally they prescribed some painkillers, which did not help. It happened that my youngest daughter was visiting us, and seeing that I was suffering from such discomfort, she recommended to me, "Go and practice Falun Gong. As long as you are sincere, it will help."

As soon as I heard the name "Falun Gong," I felt drawn to it. My two daughters had been practicing Falun Gong for over three months, and their unusual experiences and miraculous health improvements were very convincing. I said to her, "Yes, I will take up Falun Gong."

That thought, like shimmering gold, triggered my determination to practice. Soon after I started to do the Falun Gong exercises, I saw a big wheel spinning above my head, and droplets of water rolled down into my mouth, giving a taste of sweetness. I did not know what the wheel was. My daughter said, "Teacher is taking care of you."

I was very happy that Teacher was taking care of me. I felt that Teacher was with me, as my pain started to abate. By that very afternoon, all my pain had gone. My other chronic diseases also started to disappear. For the first time in my life, I truly experienced what it was like to have no sickness.

My husband also experienced similar miraculous effects after practicing Falun Gong. My husband is not very literate, but now he can read through the whole book, Zhuan Falun, without difficulties. We persisted in doing the exercises, reading the book, and listening to Teacher's lecture tapes. After a while, my husband's backaches and his varicose veins also disappeared.

Since we began practicing, all our children and grandchildren joined us in doing the Falun Gong exercises. We also noticed that our neighbors, friends, and relatives seemed to admire our close-knit family relationship.

Persecution of Falun Dafa began on July 20, 1999. Ever since it started, we have had police officers and officials from the village and town visiting us. Several times, they arrested our sons and daughters and beat them up, then refused to release them. When the date of our grandson's marriage was approaching, they demanded from us a "bond" to be paid before releasing them, and the money collected was never returned. I am bewildered by their actions. What is wrong with trying to be good people, following the principles of Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance?

Calming ourselves down, we recalled Teacher's words that we should not hit back when beaten, or talk back when abused, and we should be kind to everyone. Hence, every time when those officers visited us, my husband and I explained the principles of Falun Gong to them with sincerity and kindness. We told them why we practiced Falun Gong, and our personal experiences related to the practice. Gradually they began to understand, and they became less vicious. They then said to us, "Do what you feel is best."

To help more people know the real facts about Falun Gong, we decided to go out and meet people face to face. We took a bus to a country area about 200 km. (124 mi.) away, where most people still did not know what Falun Gong was. Many of them wanted to learn but they could not afford to buy a tape recorder. My husband and I then bought one for them.

Now we mind our daily expenses and try to save on food and general expenses. The saving often goes into printing Dafa materials. We feel it is the least we can do. We have benefited from cultivating Dafa, and unless we do well with the three things stipulated by Teacher, we are not worthy of Teacher's mercy.