David Batcheller was born and raised in Iowa. His parents were divorced when he was just five years old. His father continued caring for him and his younger brother and remarried a few years later. They also have two more brothers from their father’s second marriage – a total of four partially normal, but somewhat crazy guys!
Dave grew up doing well in school and was involved in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. He also participated in many sports, including baseball, football, basketball and track. The family enjoyed life on their acreage and did a lot of boating and water sports on the lakes and rivers of Iowa. As Dave became a teenager in the late 1960s, his life began to take a wrong turn. He struggled with getting into trouble, drinking and experimenting with drugs. He felt his life growing empty and without purpose, but, eventually, he had a life-changing experience and became at Christian at the age of 16.
David became very involved in Bible studies and church right away. He was married at 19 and began to raise a new family while working and starting two churches. Over the years, the Batcheller family lived in several regions of the U.S. including Iowa, Florida, South Dakota, Colorado, and New Mexico. Dave and his wife continued in active ministry involvement in various capacities throughout this time. His employment focused mainly on customer service and sales, and later on accounting and jobs as a driver.
As he approached fifty years of age, David experienced what he later referred to as a “second enlightenment,” regarding the history and politics of the United States. This sent him down a path of political activism, which included becoming the State Party Chairman for the Constitution Party of New Mexico. He also published his first two books about these subjects and his personal experiences.
After a very painful divorce, David went through an extremely difficult period in his life. He did not lose his faith but became very detached and inactive at church. Eventually, a move to the city in Texas where his son lived brought him to a vibrant church that helped to restore his spiritual life and direction once again.
As this restoration unfolded, Dave felt led to move to South America to serve as a missionary, a dream of his for more than 40 years. When he was able to retire in 2020, this dream became a reality! He now lives in Machala, on the southern coast of Ecuador, which is also known as “the banana capital of the world.” His son still lives in Texas, along with his two grandchildren, and his daughter still resides in New Mexico.