ENG4C – ASSIGNMENT 1 FAITH | MEGHA LAKHIA FAITH "Even an immovable stone can be shaken by faith." One of the sayings I heard as a child did not seem like something I would ever encounter. But then I had an experience that altered my perspective on life. At the time, I was seventeen years old. It was my first time to Girnar with my family and friends Although the temple is situated on the mountain, we did not have to hike all the way as the temple is situated in the middle of it. . In spite of this , it required us to ascend about four thousand four hundred steps to get there. The temples on the mountain hold immense religious significance and are considered one of the pilgrimage sites for the Jains. Not only Jains visit these mountains, but also Hindus, as it also holds the same significance for them. Many Hindu temples are situated there, with the most significant temple being situated on the summit of this mountain. I vividly remember that we started our journey early in the morning; it was around 6:00 a.m. When I initiated the climbing of those stairs, I was feeling very positive and confident that I would reach them without much difficulty. It turned out that I was mistaken as I became exhausted after about five hundred steps and understood that it was really hard for me. I was being encouraged to climb by my parents and other devoted people. I realized I still had a long way to go. I climbed more steps with the help of those motivations. After a few more steps, I got separated from my parents and friends. When I turned to look around, I noticed that a few other people were ascending alone with me . Some old men and even toddlers were climbing the mountain at their own pace. I was told to sit down on one of the steps by a wise elderly man. Alongside him, I sat. He described to me how it felt to reach the temple after climbing it for the first time. After bidding him farewell, I continued with trek but I was so exhausted that all I could think about was giving up. I felt as though someone had grasped my hand while I was standing on the stair. When I turned to face the person who was holding my hand, I noticed a young girl. She informed me that she lost her way and parted ways with her parents. I was weary and perplexed, I couldn't decide what to do. I asked the girl whether I might assist her in finding her parents. The girl was around eight or seven years old. Eventually after a glanced at her face I told her yes. I began climbing once more, but I wasn't by myself. The young child had taken hold of my hand, and we were walking step by step together. 1 ENG4C – ASSIGNMENT 1 FAITH | MEGHA LAKHIA The little girl was so energetic. Every time I felt exhausted and stopped for longer than two minutes, The girl would always tell me she was only a few steps away from meeting her parents. She didn't ever release my hands. As she ascended, she was humming some pious music. Occasionally, she released my hands and took a step or two ahead and gave me a sidelong glance, smiled, and informed me that there weren't many stairs to get to her position. Sometimes all she would do was point to the temple, which was visible from our location, and tell me she could meet her parents there in a matter of steps unprepared for what he said. not prepared for the words next came out of that old man’s mouth . He told us that occasionally the goddess herself would send help to those who were too weak to climb but had a strong trust in God. According to him, the young girl who came to assist me was, in fact, Goddess. I was astonished to learn that the little girl I had described had never been seen by anyone. This experience strengthened my trust in God. That episode strengthened my trust in God. We eventually arrived to the temple. Before I could speak to the little girl, she fled inside. With a sigh, I began looking for my parents and discovered them next to one of the temple's numerous pillars made of etched stone. Following our puja, we meditated there. After completion of those tasks, we all gathered. I narrated the entire situation that involved me when the elderly man from earlier asked me about my experience. After few moments later; the elderly guy inquired about the small child, I honestly told him that I was unable to locate her Furthermore, throughout the entire conversation, she made no mention of her name or the names of her parents—all she talked about was meeting them at the temple. When the old man spoke, and I was 2