Unshakeable belief.

They came so early in the morning, at 6.45, to light candles and joss-sticks.


Although this spirit is believed to be a Muslim, they prayed to it in their way.


In fact, once a year, they would choose an auspicious day to celebrate the existence of the spirit, offering it and the worshippers special Muslim food.


This is the shrine that was built by the people who believe in its existence.



This is the main part of the shrine.


Here is the other part of the shrine.


The two parts of the shrine seen with two worshippers.


Someone's child had a sickness. The parents took the child to doctors, hospital and specialists. Medicine was given. The parents diligently followed the doctors' advices and medicine was taken by the child accordingly. The child did not recover. The condition was getting worse to the extend that they were willing to believe in anything to get a cure.

A friend heard about the child's sickness. He came and told about a spirit under a tree nearby. The parents had in fact been told about it previously but they were educated people. They had studied about science and advancement made in medicine. They did not believe in spirits. But their beloved child was seriously sick without sight of any doctor or medicine that could bring relief. There was nothing else the parents could think of to save their child. There was no alterntaive but to try this spirit, to ask for help to save their child. Love for their child overcame all their disbeliefs. For the sake of their precious child, they had to believe. They had to hope.

So, early one morning, before most people were awake, they went to the place under the said tree. They put some fruits at the spot, light some candles and joss-sticks, and prayed fervently with all the sincerity that they could muster in their hearts for the return of their child's health. They promised to build a shrine for the spirit if the spirit could be so kind as to render its assistance in the matter.

The next day, the child looked so much better. Strange as it might seem, the child recovered gradually.

With genuine gratitude, they took along their child to thank the spirit for its assistance. As promised, they built the shrine. People in the neighbourhood who believe or had such fantastic experiences came to pay respect to the spirit each day.

If that child were yours, would you not have done the same? Of course, there are those who would claim that it is not possible for such a spirit to help overcome a sickness. Well, there are many such cases. As I have said before, we ought to accept differing opinions as opinions are the result of each individual's experiences. We all have our own, sometimes vastly different experiences, thus resulting in so many different opinions.

However, for those parents who had such experiences, who are we to say that they are mistaken. I can bet that their belief in the spirit is unshakeable. For, it is their child who was saved by a spirit especially after all else seemed to have failed.

In fact, I would think anyone, who had the experience of the above parents, most ungrateful, should he or she deny the fact that it was after approaching the spirit that his/her child was saved.

As a strong believer in God, I would like us to remember that God works in mysterious ways. I would say that this could be one of the mysterious ways. There are so many ways to reach out to God and I believe He is always here, there and everywhere; in the flowers we appreciate, in the trees which brings us fruits, beauty and shade,in all the wondrous things in this delightful world.

Thank God that people can still find hope when everything else seems to have been lost.