(Minghui.org) The first Falun Dafa experience sharing conference in the city of Hegang was held in the fall of 1998. That morning, more than 1,000 people filled the auditorium. Many stood in the aisles, and many more were outside of the auditorium. Not everyone was a practitioner–families and friends went as well.

When the conference began at 8am, practitioners recited Lunyu from Zhuan Falun together. The sonorous sound radiating the energy of compassion was one of the most memorable things to me.

There were many accounts of how Dafa changed lives.

A woman fell into a pickle tank and injured her eyes when she was five. Her eyes became misshapen, and she was teased and looked down on all her life as a result. She started practicing Dafa in her fifties. A few days later, she saw in her mirror that her eyes had returned to normal. Right away she broke down and cried, letting out all the suppressed feelings over the years. Falun Dafa had given her confidence and dignity back.

Another practitioner had severe diabetes. “I was about to end my life, and Master had pulled me back from the verge of death,” she said. The side effects and complications were literally killing her.

She woke up one morning, put on her favorite clothes and gold necklace, and went out to buy drugs to end her life. On her way to the drugstore, she saw many people exercising. She was curious. She stopped and did the exercises with them.

As she exercised, she felt calm, relaxed, and extremely comfortable. She was very happy after she finished exercising and went home, forgetting why she went out that morning.

She decided to start practicing Dafa. One day, as she was washing her legs, a thick layer of skin came off as if she had removed a pair of boots. Falun Dafa had cured the incurable disease of diabetes.

Another young woman and her husband were both practitioners. To give more people a better place to study the books and exercise together, they spent all the money they had saved up to build a big house. While the house was being built, she saw a big Falun above the house. One day, after the house was completed, the young woman came home and saw a cloud of red light surrounding her house from far away.

A vendor sold hazelnut snacks for a living. To make more money, he added water to plump up the nuts as he heated them up. He would also argue with his customers even over a dime. After he became a practitioner, he realized what he did was against the principle of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” and quit doing it since.

A successful businessman had an affair and deserted his family. After he started practicing Dafa, he ended the affair, returned to his family, and became the husband every woman dreamed about.

A woman was possessed and tormented by a foreign spirit in her early twenties. She had not a moment of peace and was physically and mentally deteriorating. Her husband was controlled by the spirit, and argued and fought her constantly. After she learned Falun Dafa, she said to the spirit, “I have a righteous belief and a Master to guide me now. I am no longer afraid of you. Falun Dafa's almighty power will crush all evil.” The spirit disappeared that day. She became healthy and got along very well with her husband.

A woman with multiple illnesses walked an hour just to meet other practitioners and learn how to do the Falun Dafa exercises. That distance would take a healthy person about ten minutes to walk. She could barely move her legs. After she exercised with everyone and studied the teachings, she felt relaxed and energetic. She was ecstatic, and it took her about ten minutes to get home. Her legs were restored to full function.

A woman sold steamed buns for a living and had to work long hours. She had to care for a young child and a brother who was mentally ill. Because of her brother, it was difficult to give good care to her child. After she became a practitioner, she had to make time from her already busy schedule to exercise and study. She was exhausted and thought about quitting the practice at one point.

One night, she dreamed of a ladder going to Heaven and saw that she was already on the second rung. She understood that Master was hinting not to give up on Falun Dafa. She came back from work one day and saw that her brother was reading Zhuan Falun. His facial expression and composure seemed normal. He was well! She choked up and cried as she was telling the story, as were those listening.

This story-sharing event was like a pure stream of water that cleansed everyone's soul. One story after another, the conference ended in the afternoon with many leaving in tears. There wasn't a single piece of garbage left behind, not even a cigarette filter or a piece of paper. Seeing how wonderful the practitioners were, many of their families and friends also started practicing Dafa.