Kirchhoff focuses his life on “Eternal Goals”

(Above) Lucas Kirchhoff displays one of the shirts he designed and is selling as a fundraiser for Genesis Church in Peru.

By Michelle Watson

Like many high school graduates, Lucas Kirchhoff was faced with deciding what path to take following his 2016 graduation from Clear Lake High School.

From his first trip to Iquitos, Peru, in 2015, Lucas knew that the mission field is where he was called to be.

“At that time in my life, I could have taken two different paths,” said Lucas.  “I was hanging out with people I shouldn’t have been — and that opened my eyes to choose a life that has eternal impact.”

Lucas went on his first trip with a church group from Zion Lutheran Church, in Clear Lake.  It is through Zion that he continues to get support and encouragement.  It was also through Zion that he began working with Genesis Church in Iquitos, Peru.  Zion regularly sends teams to Peru and also has a micro-loan program in place there.  Two other Zion members and CLHS graduates, Brice Wilcke and Riley Brinkman, have also done full-time ministry in Iquitos.  Brinkman is currently there now.

“A lot of times people want to be missionaries, but they just don’t find the right spot.  It was definitely God, because I knew right away Iquitos was where I belonged.  Everything just felt right, including learning the language very quickly.”

Lucas has been spending as much time as he can with Genesis Church, which is usually six months a year.  He is currently looking into becoming a citizen, then he can be there full-time.

Lucas is the worship leader at Genesis Church.  He is in charge of media, working with the youth, Bible studies, leading evangelism teams and translating.  While in Iquitos, he lives with Bethany (Baxter) and Nelton Noriega and their three children.  Bethany is originally from Garner and met Nelton while doing missionary work in Peru.

“Bethany and Nelton are great,” said Lucas.  “Nelton has been a very good mentor for me.  He called me out to be who I am before I even knew who I was meant to be.  I love being a part of Genesis Church and making an impact on people’s faith and their growth in God.”

Genesis Church is a growing

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church, with 400 parishioners and four pastors.  They are currently raising money for a new church complex.  Lucas has been working hard while he has been home to raise money for the Eternal Goals Campaign.  He has designed T-shits and other products, such as hats, mugs, and pop sockets, and he is selling them with all proceeds going to the new complex.

“I have been visiting other churches and speaking and selling my merchandise,” said Lucas.  “One of my shirts is styled after the Peru soccer fan jerseys.  The jerseys sell for $25 and that donation buys a square meter of land for the church.”

The shirts are also available online at www.zionclearlake.org/eternalgoals, at Nu 2 U Consignment, in Forest City and at Hidden Acres Christian Center, Dayton, Iowa.

In addition to his work for Genesis Church while he is home, Lucas also works at Culvers and teaches a Spanish class.

He recently used his translator skills on a trip to Honduras, accompanying Shane and Shanna Neavin, of Spirit Lake.  The couple wants to start a coffee shop where the proceeds go to Third World countries, including Peru.  Lucas went along to help finalize the purchase of a coffee farm in Honduras.

“It was cool to be in another foreign country, because Peru has become normal to me,” said Lucas.  Honduras was a lot more developed than Peru, but the people were just as nice and welcoming,” said Lucas. “We stayed in a nice village and I felt safe there, but traveling through the country, I didn’t feel as safe.”

Lucas will return to Peru in February.  He said the hardest part is leaving his family and some of the comforts of home, such as air conditioning and his favorite foods.

He also hopes to continue working on another of his passions - music.  He hopes to develop more of his own music and to someday record a bi-lingual album.

“God willing, I hope to continue my mission in Peru and to see the vision and growth come alive in the church,” said Lucas.

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