Born a Sikh in the Punjab state of India, Sundar Singh attended a Christian School. He was also influenced by Hindu and Sikh holy men. At age 14 his mother died and he rebelled against religion. He wanted to kill himself, but prayed that God would come and stop him. That night, he believed that Jesus appeared to him. He decided to become a Christian missionary. His family opposed this, but at age 16 he was baptized. 