Elder C .L. Blandford was one of the first pioneer missionaries to West China.  He opened the second station at Szchwan in 1918.  To visit churches and members weekly, he rode 350 miles on horseback on his Arabian Stallion.

There were times on the border of Tibet that he stayed in a Buddhist Temple. One morning at 4 a.m., he was awakened by over 400 monks chanting:  “Oh Manni Pot Muh Huum.” The droning sound scared him out of his wits.  During his travels he found a young man who had graduated from the university at 16 years of age.  His name was Hwang.  Later after studying with him, Hwang accepted Christ and became a Christian.  Later he was one of the first to be ordained as a minister in China.  During the invasion of China by the Japanese, he died a martyr's death at our school at Chaio Tou Tzeng.

Elder Blandford sacrificed much in China.  During his first term of service his first wife died.  Even though he was very lonely, he continued his work among the Chinese people that he loved so much.  He spoke fluent Chinese, and many Chinese said that they could not tell that he was not Chinese.

He served in many parts of China:  Mukden, Changchuun, Tientsin, Shanghai, and near Nanking at the China Training Institute where he served as head of the History Department.  He labored in China from 1916 – 1937.

On one occasion he was taking new missionaries to their posts by boat up the Yangtze River.  Bandits pulled their boat over and were going to rob them and kill them.  Daddy faced the bandit chiefain who had a gun poked in Daddy's face;  Daddy took the gun and pushed it up into the bandit's face, who said:  “Get that gun out of my face.”  Startled, the bandit chieftain admired such courage and let them all go.  Of course the Lord certainly was with my father.

After losing his first wife, he returned to the U.S.A. on furlough and there met Lillian Thompson, whom he courted and married,  taking her back to China to serve with him.

While in Manchuria, they heard about a little beggar boy in Harbin, and unseen they decided to get him and take him as their first son.  It was two-days train ride away from them, so Elder Nathan Brewer brought the little boy to them.  He was Russian and spoke no English, but gradually became more and more at home.  They showed him so much love and caring that he thought he must have gone to heaven. This of course was a miracle performed by God to pick this little boy out to give to the Blandfords out of several hundred who were on the streets of Harbin.  

Elder Blandford accomplished much in his service for God in China, but perhaps the greatest accomplishment for God was by taking that little beggar boy as their son.  As a result this little beggar became a minister for God and has served Him more than 40 years.  During his ministry thousands found Jesus and became part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, especially during his 25 years as an evangelist.  It is he that presents this special biography about a dedicated, godly missionary, Elder C.L. Blandford.