Florida: "Petals of Peace" Bloom Again in Orlando (Photos)

By a Falun Dafa practitioner in Orlando

(Clearwisdom.net) As more than one thousand people were attracted to the two-day annual Spring Fiesta by Lake Eola of Orlando, Falun Gong practitioners set up a booth to demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises, distribute flyers, and collect signatures to rescue children under persecution in China.

Falun Gong practitioners called for attention to the unfortunate children whose parents were forced to leave their homes, thrown into prison, tortured or murdered because of the persecution of Falun Gong in China. Many children have been expelled from their schools or physically abused simply because Jiang's regime wouldn't allow them or their families to practice Falun Gong.

Children sign their names in support of rescuing persecuted practitioners

People learn how to fold paper lotus flowers

Exercise demonstration

Busy signature boards

Many people stopped to sign their names. Practitioners set up a bright yellow board for the children. When parents learned that thousands of children in China went back home from school to find their homes ransacked and parents gone, they immediately signed their names and encouraged their kids to sign, as well. Many kids wrote down their supportive words on the poster.

There was a special corner for "Petals of Peace" at the Falun Gong booth. There, children and adults could learn how to fold paper lotuses and hear the story behind it. Practitioners told them that Fadu was a five-year-old Chinese Australian girl whose father, grandfather and aunt had been subjected to persecution in China. Little Fadu and her mother traveled around the world to call for attention to the families under persecution. They lost their family members because of the persecution, and that's why they initiated the "Petals of Peace". The lotus flower is a symbol for beauty and hope. Crowds of people joined the lotus folding.

The practitioners read aloud a statement describing the persecution in both Chinese and English. The persecution has threatened many children's lives, destroyed countless families, deprived children of their educational opportunities and other resources. Many Falun Gong practitioners have been thrown into brainwashing centers, forced labor camps and prisons, and tortured to death. The persecution has risen to the scale of genocide, as defined by the United Nations after World War II. Practitioners encouraged people to take truth-clarification materials, tell their friends about it and contact their congressmen.

The colorful lotuses, soothing music and peaceful energy field made the Falun Gong booth very popular. A tourist said it was the busiest booth at the event. Many people showed interest in Falun Gong, and some learned it on the spot. Many children tried doing the meditation. A policewoman said she would share Falun Gong with her colleagues because they would benefit from it. A TV producer left Falun Gong practitioner his card and expressed hope that they would contact him later.

Practitioners collected dozens of pages of signatures during this two-day activity. Two large posters were filled with children's signatures and words of support. Boxes of truth-clarification materials were distributed.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/4/11/99363.html

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