C.T. Studd was born into a very affluent family. He became very famous as a top class English cricketer. Just before graduating College, he surrendered his life to the Lord Jesus Christ.   God called him to China, and so he made a complete surrender of his life to go to the mission field of China.

Charles Thomas Studd was born in England in 1860, one of three sons of a wealthy retired planter, Edward Studd, who had made a fortune in India and had come back to England to spend it. After being converted to Christ during a Moody-Sankey campaign in England in 1877, Edward Studd became deeply concerned about the spiritual welfare of his three sons and influenced them for the cause of Christ before his death two years later.

By the time C.T. was sixteen he had become an expert cricket player and at nineteen was captain of his team at Eton College. He was further educated at Trinity College, Cambridge where he was also recognized as an outstanding cricketer.C.T. was saved in 1878 at the age of 18 when a visiting preacher at their home caught C.T. on his way to play cricket. "Are you a Christian?" he asked. C.T's answer not being convincing enough, the guest pressed the point and C.T. tells what happens as he acknowledges God's gift of eternal life received through faith in Christ:

"I got down on my knees and I did say 'thank you' to God. And right then and there joy and peace came into my soul. I knew then what it was to be 'born again,' and the Bible which had been so dry to me before, became everything." His two brothers were also saved that same day!

But there followed a period of six years in a backslidden state. C.T. relates: "Instead of going and telling others of the love of Christ, I was selfish and kept the knowledge to myself. The result was that gradually my love began to grow cold, and the love of the world began to come in. I spent six years in that unhappy backslidden state." The Lord in His goodness worked in his life and after a serious illness of his brother and his going to hear D.L. Moody the Lord met C.T. again and restored to him the joy of His salvation."Still further, and what was better than all, He set me to work for Him, and I began to try and persuade my friends to read the Gospel, and to speak to them individually about their souls."

"I cannot tell you what joy it gave me to bring the first soul to the Lord Jesus Christ. I have tasted almost all the pleasures that this world can give ... but those pleasures were as nothing compared to the joy that the saving of that one soul gave me." The Lord continued to work in his life, and led C.T. to go to China. C.T. seeking to comfort his mother wrote: "Mother dear, I do pray God to show you that it is such a privilege to give up a child to be used of God to saving poor sinners who have never even heard of the name of Jesus." C.T. was one of the "Cambridge Seven" who offered themselves to Hudson Taylor for missionary service in the China Inland Mission and in February, 1885, sailed for China......

He served the Lord well on the mission fields of China as well as India, and  after returning home to England, just about completely spent, God called him to Africa.  His doctor would not allow him to go, and warned him of  the cost, "dying" if he tried to go to Africa.  The Doctor told the mission board, with the this results,  all of his support was cut off!  But God had called him! And so he went on the appointed day and waited as the ship to Africa was being loaded.  He had neither funds or mans approval, but he was in the will of God.  One of his friends showed up at the dock to wish him well, and said to C.T. I want to be a part of your venture, and gave him the money needed to board the ship and get him into the interior of Africa.  

The results of this act of obedience of an elderly man, was remarkable, the mission that C.T. formed is still operating today!

When his parents died, he inherited a vast fortune, but remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, in Matthew 10:9-10 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,  Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat he quickly gave his money away to missions, and other types of God's work, with the exception of a small amount, which he gave to his wife...