Hello, and howdy my dear Hive friends in this awesome community. How are you? I hope you had a great week with your family and friends, and your travel buddies. I am so grateful for having a long weekend vacation here in the Philippines for I had spent quality time searching for my inner peace and appreciating the beauty of nature in Soul Sierra. After, I also had a quick quality time visiting the Miraculous Simala Shrine in Sibonga, Cebu.
This is not my first time visiting the place and every time I have extra time, I make sure to visit the holy place and sincerely ask for healing and guidance for the whole family. No matter how far this is from our place, distance will never be a problem if you have the willingness to visit the place. The place is located in the Southern part of Cebu in Sibonga town. From my place, I had to travel 3 - 4 hours to reach Cebu City, from SM Cebu North Bus Terminal, I had to ride a jeep to reach the South Bus Terminal where you can get the chance to ride a bus or van to reach the destination. Going to the place is another 2 - 3 hours ride from the South Bus Terminal for Php130.00 or 2.33 USD. From the bus stop, you can ride a motorcycle or a tricycle for hire going up for Php100.00 back and forth per person. It was not as easy as it is but I would love to go back here again and again.
I remember when we had our childhood days, every time the school year started, we always prayed beforehand and went together to the church. Because we had that childhood experience of asking for a prayer whenever trials and struggles come in, I made it a practice since then.
Arriving at the holy place will always give me goosebumps. The long line of devotees visiting the Blessed Virgin Mary could be seen along the path. We arrive at the holy place at exactly 10:50 a.m. and because it's too hot, bringing umbrellas in the line is quite fun and fulfilling. Falling in line takes almost an hour yet it doesn't matter. Devotees from different walks of life stay committed to surviving in the line bringing with them their prayers.
In front of the castle-like shrine, you will also see on the lower part a word written "We Love Mama Mary" and a fishpond. Seeing this beautiful creation gives additional attraction to the place.
While waiting for my turn I had the chance to take pictures along the pathways. There are arrays of bougainvillea flower pots in which the beautiful colored pink flowers radiate. After an hour, The black clouds almost cover the whole place yet people are still coming in and out of the shrine. Locals and even foreign ones were visiting the place and made their prayers.
The yellow arch you can see in front signifies that you are almost at the entrance to the altar. Before reaching the altar you have to take off your slippers or shoes as a sign of respect to the holy place. Finally, the long line is over and I get inside the holy place.
Every piece of design that is placed inside and outside is carefully planned. From the wood carvings to the ceilings and roofing of the holy place. I love all the wood furniture being placed here. Aside from the color, its design is very unique as well.
After offering my prayer, I lighted a candle. Each colored candle signifies different meanings. Depending on the prayers you wanted to ask for. The colored candle is worth Php35.00, while the brown-colored one is worth Php5.00. You can also buy a lot of prayer stuff here like a rosary guide, necklace with a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary, rings, holy cross, and different relics.
Being in the place feels like unloading of heavy hearts and pains you carry onto your shoulder. Lifting what you feel to the lord gives us new hope. I hope to become a better and stronger individual to face all the challenges that arise upon me. It's always a good time spent in the Miraculous Shrine in Simala Sibonga.
You will never go wrong in lifting your prayers to the Lord. Everything will fall into place. Just trust the timing and wait for your turn.
Thank you my good friends for reading my blog.
Have a nice day everyone! 😊
That's all for today my Hive friends. Thank you for taking the time to read and giving a little upvote to my blog. See you on my next blog!