A Young Western Practitioner Travels to China with a Heartfelt Message for the Chinese People

"We have fallen to this maze, helpless, lost, can't find the way. Searching thousands of years, one day Master reappears. Be saved, be saved. Please don't miss this chance again."

These are the lyrics of a song entitled, "Be Saved," sung by a western Falun Gong practitioner named Sara. With her pure angelic voice, Sara moved the hearts of the police on Tiananmen Square, as well as the hearts of many Eastern and Western people.

Sara grew up in a happy family in Missouri. Her mother, Dianna, is an internationally known artist who has created many beautiful porcelain dolls. Her work is sold throughout the world and has received recognition and praise. Sara's father, Randall, is extremely fond of Chinese culture and has studied and practised Chinese medicine for nearly 16 years. Influenced by her father, Sara is also deeply attracted to Chinese culture. When she was in college, she travelled to China twice as a tourist, and made many Chinese friends.

Overwhelming Suppression Cannot Defeat the Truth

On her second visit to China, Sara arrived on July 20th, 1999, which is the day that the Chinese Communist Party launched the unprecedented suppression of Falun Gong. All that Sara could see or hear from the TV news was slanderous propaganda against Falun Gong. At the same time, on the other side of the world, Sara's father learnt from the TV news that the Chinese government had banned a practice called Falun Gong, which combined exercises for health with moral teachings. He was immediately interested in learning more about Falun Gong and he thought to himself, "If the Chinese Communist regime says it is bad, then it must be good."

Three months later, Sara returned to the U.S. from China and her father contacted a Falun Gong practitioner in a nearby city, who came to their small town to introduce the practice to them and several of their friends. Sara and her parents then started practising Falun Gong, and soon began to experience significant physical and mental benefits, further strengthening their confidence in the practice.

Sara's mother said she gained a deeper understanding of what it means to be compassionate, and how to practise compassion toward even those she didn't get along with previously. Sara's father also experienced many health benefits. Sara's formerly weak physical condition improved, and she gained confidence. "Over the five years I have practised Falun Gong, I have become braver and stronger, both physically and mentally."

Saying "Falun Dafa is Good" in Tiananmen Square

From the time Sara and her family first learnt Falun Gong, they heard about the brutal persecution practitioners in China faced from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Sara said, "When I talked about the goodness of Falun Gong to my friends in China over the Internet, what I heard back from them was the CCP's propaganda. I felt bad for the Chinese people who had deceived by the Chinese Communist Party."

One day, a Chinese practitioner taught her to sing the song "Be Saved" in Chinese. After Sara thoroughly understood the meaning of the words, she was deeply moved, and worked up an arrangement of the song in English. Then, in February 2002, Sara decided to go to China again to bring the truth to the Chinese people.

For Sara, February 14th, 2002, was the most unforgettable day of her life. On that day she chose to leave her warm family in the U.S. and travel thousands of miles to Tiananmen Square. She went to accomplish something she had wanted to do for a long time -tell the Chinese people "Falun Dafa is good."

"I cried," her mother said. "The CCP's inhumane cruelty in their persecution of Falun Gong practitioners came to my mind and I was extremely worried about her." Her father said: "As a Falun Gong practitioner, I was very proud of her because this event would have a profound and lasting significance. But as her father, I was worried about her very much because nobody knew if she would come back safely."

Sara's own thoughts also carried some concerns. "I was also worried and scared. But compared to the principles Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in my mind, those thoughts of worry and fear were trivial."

Beautiful and Sweet Singing Moves People's Hearts

The day Sara arrived at the edge of Tiananmen Square, she found to her surprise that the square was not only crammed with crowds of tourist for the Chinese New Year holiday season, it was also covered with public security and plainclothes policemen.

When she and her fellow practitioners were entering the square, the police stopped them and conducted strict body searches. They found a piece of cloth with the words, "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" inside Sara's coat. She and her friends were then taken by bus to a nearby police station. Sara heard the song "Falun Dafa is Good" being sung loudly by other Western practitioners who had come to peacefully appeal for a stop to the persecution on Tiananmen Square that day. This had been the main purpose of her trip. She wanted, together with several dozen other Western practitioners--most of whom she had never met before--to convey on the square that Falun Dafa has spread to over 60 countries around the world.

Before long, dozens of Western practitioners were dragged in by the police. Later they were all taken to another detention centre. On the road, Sara stood up and started singing the song "Be Saved" in Chinese. At first, several officers fiercely demanded she sit down and be quiet. But Sara persisted, singing the song over and over again. Finally, all the officers quieted down and listened attentively. One of them was deeply moved by the song and he secretly wiped tears from the corner of his eye. Sara then told them, "We came from different parts of the world and we want to tell you 'Falun Dafa is good!' Now that you know the truth, please tell your families and friends."

After being detained for more than 20 hours, Sara and several dozen other practitioners were taken to an airplane and sent back to the U.S. Many friends and relatives warmly welcomed their return. When Sara was asked whether the trip was worth it, she nodded without hesitation and said: "We have let the people know that this is not only an internal issue in China. This is an issue of human rights."

Sara and her father are actively taking part in Falun Dafa activities in different parts of the world to let more people learn about the practice and the persecution. Sara has sung "Be Saved" at many events and moved many Eastern and Western people's hearts, helping them to learn the truth.