Now is the Time for International Student Orientation Programs!

By practitioners in Mid-USA

Before the fall semester begins, local universities hold several special orientation sessions for overseas students, also called "international students" or "foreign students." Students who have recently arrived in the country are open to new people and ideas, and they are looking for friendly faces.

We set up some posters on tripods in the building where the orientation sessions are held. We had practitioners standing near where the new students enter the orientation sessions handing out information about Dafa and the persecution. We gave English-language materials to everyone who passed by, but we asked, "Do you speak Chinese?" to some and if they answered "yes," then we also gave them Chinese-language materials, such as the booklet "The Path Back Home." Before the orientation is an excellent time to give the students reading materials. Since classes haven't started yet, students have no work to think about, and this is when they have the most time to read things unrelated to school. Also, many of the students may not know many people yet and there is a lot of waiting around at the orientation, so it is a great chance for them to read over the materials we give them.

Westerner practitioners wearing yellow t-shirts and smiling were very effective when handing information to new Chinese students. We found that this broke through many of the Chinese students perceptions that Falun Gong is just practiced by Chinese people. The new students were fascinated by the fact that there were Westerner practitioners, and they took all the information the practitioners gave them.

This is a great opportunity to reach Chinese students and students from many countries. Practitioners who live near a university or college should be able to call the international student office or check the web site to see when orientation sessions are held. Using creativity and compassion, we can reach many people with predestined relationships and clarify the truth.

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