My Testimony

Bro. David Blanchard III

T hank you for visiting our site. I felt that it was important for me to share with our visitors my personal testimony of how God intervened in my life. I grew up in the small town of Brusly, Louisiana where I attended Holy Family Catholic school from Kindergarden to Sixth Grade.


I then attended Brusly Middle and High School until my graduation in 1993. I had a strong desire in my youth to be a Priest, and I even discussed this with my Catechism teachers growing up. Before the rebellious teenage years, as a boy I was very dedicated to my faith. I learned all of the prayers a good Catholic would pray, even understood what a Plenuary Indulgence was and found myself striving to reach it. I read many books about the "Saints" from my mother's library and felt like I was called to be a Saint. Many times in my youth I would discuss my faith with my peers. When I started going to public school my seventh grade year, I discovered that not everyone was Catholic. This was a shock to me, however I found out quickly that I was able to defend my Catholic faith without much resistance. I always stood on the precept that "Peter was the first Pope" and if you were not Catholic you were Protestant. I never left a discussion feeling like I was wrong, that is until I met up with an Apostolic that showed me what Peter preached (Acts 2:38). It was then that I was introduced me to the "faith that was once delivered to the saints" and I had a new adventure on my hands. This adventure brought me to the greatest experience in my life.

Let me reassure the reader that I have absolutely no bitterness in my heart toward my former church. I believe that Truth is a rare jewel, and it is our ultimate responsiblility to seek out our Salvation in fear and trembling. However, as I studied scripture and was honest with myself, I realized that my church was following pagan traditions and its past consisted of many deceptions. Even the current movement in the Catholic Church.. The "Apologetic" movement has a eery spirit with it. The root word of Apologetic is "apologize", this tells me exactly what this spirit is up to, it's sole purpose is to "apologize" for the mistakes made in the past. What will truly deliver your soul is not just to apologize but to repent. Repentance is turning around and is more than an apology. The Bible instructs us to come out from her. No matter what the cost you must eliminate false doctrine from your life.

(Rev 18:4) "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. "

For a study on this thought see this study.

I started getting hungry for the Bible in Catechism class, I would read the Book of Revelation over and over, (especially Revelation 12) and I would have dreams about it. I always feared Jesus coming back and I was in awe of the judgement of God. It really put the fear of God in my heart. I talked to the LORD quite a bit at this time of my life, I asked him to show me how to be a saint. It was also during this time that my spiritual hunger exceeded the teaching I was recieveing specifically on the Godhead. I accepted what I was taught, but I was not satisified with it. Also, I remember specifically asking my 11th Grade Catechism teaching about the day of Pentecost, and if people still received the experience that happened on that day (speaking in tongues). I was told it still happened, but it wasn't for everyone. That made me the more hungry to find out about this, but not satisified.


My Confirmation 1992
After my dull Confirmation experience, I decided to start studying more about other churches. In the fall of 1993, I worked for a Protestant man who had received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He was drawn to me, and witnessed to me often. I loved to hear what he had to say, it was comforting and wise. (Not dead and dry like my Catechism teachers). I decided to go against my family and upbringing and go to his church one night. Well, I received the "saved" experience... I accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour that night. It was a powerful experience, and I will never deny that it was. But I was told I was saved that night, specifically John 3:16, Romans 10:9

Well, I knew one thing for sure, I had a lot of studying to do. Obviously there was more about God that I did not learn from my Catholic upbringing, however I did not want to be a "Protestant" because I remembered my conviction as a child. But I could not deny the fact that people in these other churches had real experiences. In 1995, I went to Boot Camp (US Army). Right before I left, one of my friend's wives received the baptism of the Holy Ghost in a Pentecostal Church, and she tried her best to explain it to me. I listened to everything that she said, and then she asked me if I would mind if she prayed on me In Jesus name. I didn't mind at all and I remember that God anoited that prayer. I was really stirred to start reading the Bible and when I got to boot camp, I got a Bible from the Gideons. I really tried to read it, but I could not understand it, and got frustrated. God showed me many times during boot camp that He was with me. I found favour when without Him I am certain I would not have. When I got back from boot camp, my life went to the fast lane. I moved to Lafayette, Louisiana and got into college. Somehow I managed to still do decent in school, but my lifestyle was catching up with me. I believe that it was in this time that I realized that if I didn't find a way of escape, that I would destroy my future dream of living a clean life with a wife and children. I literally remember being loaded one night in my bathroom and repenting to God for my choices. I asked Him to lead and guide me to where He wanted me to be. I told Him I still felt the calling to be a "Saint" but I did not know where to go. I just wanted to be right with God.

It was not long after that I waited on a special person in my life. A young lady and her friend came to the resturaunt I waited tables at (Tampicos) one night and we were in love at first sight. After enjoying waiting on them, I left my phone number in their bill. They called me back that night, and I ended up meeting the woman who would become my wife. She was mature and older than me, but as far as my situation was going, I was so ready to mature myself. I came clean with her about my whole life story, and she with me. We accepted each others faults (mostly she accepted my faults) and on March 17, 1997 we decided that we were going to date exclusively each other only. This was a step in the right direction for me. I cut off all my other relationships, and made a commitment to her that she would be the only one. What happened next was all God...

All this time I was in a class with my cousin, Bro Shane Milazzo. He invited me to his church, but I didn't really consider until I started dating my wife. I asked him one day for a Bible Study, not even knowing what kind of church he was going to or if he really taught the Bible or not. He assured me that it was pure Bible, and that it was not "Protestant". I was amazed at his knowledge of scripture (he being a former dedicated Catholic as myself). He also told me about receiving this "experience" with God. I was so glad to hear that, it sounded like what I was looking for. I did two months of Bible Study in my apartment with him and his Preacher and would you know that my wife joined in as well? I begged him to go to church and on April 2, 1997, I walked into the Apostolic Church for the first time of my life. What did I witness? A whole group of people talking in tongues, high Praises of God coming out of their mouth, shouting, dancing, running, Preaching, I was in shock. I never seen church like this before. Then the Preacher preached, and it was awesome. It hit me straight in the heart. I went down to the altar and repented of my sins, and my cousin began to pray on me... as he did, tears ran down my face and I began to vocally worship God with all of my heart. Suddenly, I began to let my jaw speak and I began to speak in tongues as the Spirit gave utterance.. YESSS! I found the Pentecostal experience that I had read about in the book of Acts so many years ago.

That wasn't it however! They did not go to John 3:16 and Romans 10:9, but actually explained that I must be born again as per John 3:5 and Acts 2:38. (These were the missing keys to my experience.. John 3:16 comes AFTER John 3:5 and Romans 10:9 was written to a CHURCH that had already obeyed Acts 2:38 - see Romans 6:3 for verification on this). I submitted myself to water baptism in Jesus Name and the power of the Holy Ghost fell upon me. When I went home that night, I tore into my Bible because now it made sense. I began to read and read and read and read, I asked my cousin for every book on Apostolic that I could get my hands on. I read the entire New Testament in less than 3 months. I got a hold of every preaching tape I could get my hands on. I threw away all my rock and roll(Metallica) and replaced with Bible tapes, preaching tapes, and worship music. I kept poor Bro Milazzo (my cousin) and Bro Schwing (along with many others) up for weeks until the early morning hours asking him about doctrine and the word of God. Praise God!


Bro. Blanchard And Family


I have been under the ministry of Lafayette's Greater First Apostolic Church Pastor S.D.Schwing for over 20 years and I can honestly tell you that even years later, this Truth is still a fire in my heart. Currently I am now a Minister of the Gospel serving God in Evangelism, Outreach, and Bible Studies as well as working in the body as the Superintdent of the Sunday School in Lafayette, LA. My family and I are also involved with our Church outreaches in various areas our city (Youngsville, Truman, Veazie etc). I have also worked as an instructor and taught classes for ICAT (Institue of Conservative Apostolic Theology San Antonio, TX) under Pastor K. Nix, having obtained a bachelors degree and working on a masters degree in Theology for the past few years.

God blessed me with the talent to work with software and databases, and I have had the experience of working in both the oilfield in the gulf south, and in the recent few years working in the financial sector.

God has seen my family through many struggles and battles over the past years of living for Him. We can testify of His faithfulness and His Keeping Power through the trials of this life. The Holy Ghost is a comforter, and repover of our lives, as the Gospel of John 16 tells us - it reproves us of SIN, of RIGHTEOUSNESS, and of JUDGEMENT. Our Assembly is blessed to have a great man of God that leads us to following the Holy Ghost. In the world of compromise and laodecian Pentecost, I thank God for being raised under Pastor Schwing. We have a burden for the conservative Apostolic Holiness message to be propogated throughout the areas we are working. God is going to have a Church, and by the grace of God, we want to be IN THAT CHURCH!

Please keep our ministry in prayer as we seek to do His will! God has truly blessed my life and I am truly thankful for it. If you are hungry for more, pray in Jesus name! Seek God with all of your heart! Receive the Holy Ghost! Be baptized in Jesus Name for the remission of your sins. I am so glad that I found what I was so hungry for. This site is filled with studies from the Apostolic Faith, if you take time to read, I have expressed (with all my heart) the wonderful revelation of God's Holy Word to me in this site. Please take time to prayerfully read the contents, and rest assured that the Apostolic church is alive and well and it is not the Catholic Church.

The Apostolic Church is OBEYING Apostle Peter and IS NOT Protestants, and is NOT Apologizing, and is NOT Mormons, and is NOT Jehovah Witness... IT is a ONE GOD JESUS NAME HOLY GHOST TONGUE TALKING TITHE PAYING COMMUNION TAKING FOOTWASHING SEPERATED LIBERATED JUSTIFIED AND SANCTIFIED IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND BY THE SPIRIT OF OUR GOD! (1 Cor 6:9-11). HALLELUJAH!
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