The real story of this book describing the life and work of Dr. John Scudder, starts over two hundred years ago. It was purely God’s grace and the wisdom that He gave in bringing to life the story of a man who was almost forgotten.
Dr. Scudder was very good in writing letters regularly to his mother. It is these letters, well preserved by his mother, that were later used by his brother in law to bring it into a book of his memoirs, stored in different archives in the US.
This book is a story of answering God’s call and leading a life of commitment and sacrifice. Death of his children was an early companion when he started his initial work. He was not discouraged. His wish was that like his wife, he too should die in India and be buried here. Although he died in S. Africa, ultimately, he was buried besides his wife in Ranipet.
Christian Medical College stands as witness to the legacy carried forward by his granddaughter Dr. Ida Sophia Scudder. Altogether, the Scudders spent a total of over one thousand years as missionaries serving India. Dr. John Scudder was God’s gift to India.