He was disillusioned with the materialism and colonialism of Western society and tried to forge an Indian identity for the Indian church. He concluded during his stay in missions that Western civilisation had become the antithesis of original Christian values. In 1908 he went to Bombay, hoping to board a ship to visit Palestine, but was refused a permit, and had to return to the north. He was stoned as he bathed in cold water because it was believed that "holy men never washed." In 1908, he crossed the frontier of Tibet, where he was appalled by the living conditions. He suffered arrest and stoning for his beliefs, and experienced mystical encounters. He was referred to as "the apostle with the bleeding feet" by the Christian communities of the north. Like Him I will belong to the road, sharing the suffering of my people, eating with those who will give me shelter, and telling all men of the love of God." Īfter returning to his home village, where he was given an unexpectedly warm welcome, Sundar Singh traveled northward for his mission of converting through the Punjab, over the Bannihal Pass into Kashmir, and then back through Muslim Afghanistan and into the brigand-infested North-West Frontier and Baluchistan. "I am not worthy to follow in the steps of my Lord", he said, "but, like Him, I want no home, no possessions. Singh propagated himself as a sadhu, albeit one within Christianity, because he realised Indians could not be converted unless it was in an Indian way. In October 1906, he set out on his journey as a new Christian, wearing a saffron turban and the saffron robe of a sadhu, an ascetic devoted to spiritual practice. ![]() Prior to this, he had been staying at the Christian Missionary Home at Sabathu, near Simla, serving the leprosy patients there. On his sixteenth birthday, he was publicly baptised as a Christian in the parish church in Simla, in the Himalayan foothills. People of that area threw snakes into his house, but he was rescued from mistreatment with the help of a nearby British Christian. He was poisoned not just once but a number of times. His father officially rejected him, and his brother Rajender Singh attempted to poison him. Sundar announced to his father, Sher Singh, that thenceforth he would get converted into the missionary work of Jesus Christ. He asked that whosoever is the 'True God' would appear before him, or else he would kill himself that very night he had a vision of Jesus. Sundar resolved to kill himself by throwing himself upon a railroad track. Sundar felt that his religious pursuits and the questioning of Christian priests left him without ultimate meaning. Sadhu Sundar Singh CNI Church Rupnagar, India Conversion to Christ
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