(Clearwisdom.net news June 2^nd) My father-in-law's name is Zhou Zixiang. Born in November 1928, he was a retired cadre from the Weifang City Police Department in Shandong Province. In the late Fall of 1970, the Bohai Sea flooded. He led a rescue team, staying in meter-deep seawater for three days and nights. Half a year later, the arteries in his right leg atrophied. Circulation to his right foot was cut off, making it necessary to amputate his right leg below the knee. Since then he became handicapped and could no longer walk and work normally. The loss and depression caused mood-swings and made his temper extremely unsteady. Later, he developed serious coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and other serious illnesses. During the several decades since, he needed to spend at least three weeks in the hospital for every three months each year, and was twice critically ill. Every year, his medical costs amounted to nearly thirty thousand Yuan, which was all covered by the government's insurance program. His temper became worse and worse. His life was a vicious cycle.

In 1995, people at work secretly put him at No.1 on the potential "death list" [soon to die from his medical problems]. At that time, his lips were dark purple; his face was murky gray. His hair was white and his body very weak. When he walked, he needed to rest every few steps.

In October 1995, when he was on the verge of death, the elderly man was fortunate to learn Falun Dafa. Since then his life has been renewed. Along with constant Fa study and cultivating his moral character, the state of his mind and of his health changed dramatically. His face turned from gray to white and clean, and it was glowing. His wrinkles faded. His lips turned from dark purple to red and moist. Even his white hair turned gradually dark. His whole person became energetic. His body also became strong. In the past, after a few steps he had to rest a bit. Not too long after beginning cultivation, he could climb up the stairs to the fifth floor, even with his artificial limb. Some old friends who had not often seen him were surprised of the big change in him. When they saw him, many people said: "Zhou is really returning to youth."

He had several incidents of amazing karma-eliminating experiences. Once, his left leg suddenly became red and swollen. It was painful and hard to tolerate this. Then the entire leg became dark purple. A few days later, with the speed of a few centimeters each day, his left leg turned from dark purple to rosy red from the top of the thigh down. In a little more than ten days, the purple completely retreated out from the tip of the toes. The left leg became much lighter and stronger than before. What's more amazing is that in the process of his left leg losing the purple color, while he didn't take any medicine and there was no medicine in the room, yet the entire room was filled with the smell of herbal medicine that irritated the nose.

My father-in-law told people excitedly: this was Master purifying his body from inside out. In the past when he treated his infected right leg, he had used a few hemp bags of herbal medicine. Now, when Master completely cleansed the core of his illness, the old medicine, which took effect many years before at this central location, was released. Seeing the changes taking place in him, people around were all shocked and praised the power of Falun Dafa. The internist director who had seen my father-in-law for many years in the City Peoples Hospital, together with his wife, also began practicing Falun Gong after he saw for himself the miraculous changes in my father-in-law.

Cultivation not only freed the elderly man from the torture of illness over several dozen years, but for the past several years, cultivation also saved the country several hundred thousand Yuan in medical expenses. The old man had a happy disposition and his temper also became better. The whole family enjoyed light-hearted joy. Not only that: he also changed the habit of letting others take care of him after several decades; instead, he helped my mother-in-law to do the housework. He became a person who loves to help others. In 1998, when he learned that a tenant living near his apartment complex in a very tight financial spot needed money for an emergency, my father-in-law withdrew three thousand Yuan from his savings to help him.

Since July 20 of 1999, though, under wave after wave of high pressure brainwashing from certain personnel and staff in the city police department, especially the poisonous lies spread on the TV and in the newspapers, my over 70-year-old father-in-law became confused. Believing the evil lies, he wrote the so-called guarantee statement to stop practicing the exercises and stopped studying the Fa for a period of time. Later, through Fa experience sharing with others, he started to understand somewhat. People from his work unit threatened him at that time, and people in the family who were deceived by the lies also dissuaded him. He was also under mental agony because my wife and I had been imprisoned many times, as we were solid in cultivation and went to Beijing to validate Dafa. Our work unit had gone to my father-in-law's home to frequently harass him. Once, nine people altogether, from both work units, went to my father-in-law's home and pressured him. The elderly man felt very sad and could not endure all these pressures. He often cried. He was in a fearful mental state and experienced anger for a long time. He could not calm his mind when he wanted to study the Fa and practice the exercises. Originally, his mind and body had become healthy through cultivation of Falun Gong, but under this kind of detrimental environment and persecution, his health deteriorated rapidly. In September 2000, unfortunately, he died.

As he was dying, he came to a full understanding. He deeply regretted that he didn't do a good job, didn't listen to Master, wasn't a steadfast Dafa disciple; instead, he caved in to the evil's pressure.

When he was full of regret, he asked me to write down his spoken, solemn declaration to the city police department, "In the past I practiced Falun Gong and my health became better and better. However, after I wrote the guarantee statement according to the request from the Party and stopped practicing Falun Gong, my health became worse and worse, to the point where I am today. All the leaders witnessed this. After what happened to me, didn't it just prove Falun Gong is righteous? It's completely wrong to label Falun Gong as an undesirable group. The guarantee statement I have written to promise not to practice Falun Gong in the past was completely wrong, unworthy of Teacher Li and also against my conscience. Now I declare it invalid. I hope the leaders can understand the truth of Falun Gong and help to stop the persecution against Falun Gong."

My father-in-law also told me, "When you go to Beijing to appeal again, I support you." The second day after I took care of his funeral, I commenced on the journey of appealing for Master and Dafa with the last wish he had entrusted me with.

During the last few days of his life, he told the relatives near him that he really couldn't part with the memorable cultivation time from October 1995 to July 20, 1999, before the persecution. He said that those were the most happy and joyous four years of his life. He asked his family members to put Master's picture on the table next to his bed. To old friends, old colleagues who went to visit him, no matter whether the visitor was from the police department or from the court, he pointed at Master's picture and said with his weak voice, "Master is most righteous. Falun Gong is the best."

He regretted that he had not solidly continued to practice cultivation, and told them the persecution destroyed him; otherwise he would not be in such a situation today. He asked them not to treat Falun Gong practitioners badly, but support Falun Gong. Some visitors said that Falun Gong is not like what the higher government authorities claimed. We have our opinions. Please be assured, we won't make those good people's lives difficult.

The passing away of my father-in-law had various causes, but an undeniable fact is this: the evil persecution initiated by Jiang was responsible for my father-in-law's death. If there were not for this persecution of Falun Gong, an elderly gentleman like him who had benefited from the cultivation of Dafa would have definitely continued cultivation. If he had steadfastly continued cultivation, his health would have become better and better. At least he would have been able to enjoy his old age with health and happiness.