Hendrik, son of retired missionaries Dean and Faith Smidderks, spent his childhood in Southern Africa. Kaylene was raised in Peoria, Illinois. Hendrik and Kaylene met while students at Greenville College. They served pastorates in Illinois and Kansas for 31 years. After leaving the pastorate, Hendrik worked as a corporate accounting manager. Kaylene has work experience as an administrative assistant, bookkeeper, small business owner, retail manager and general office manager. They have one adult daughter who is a nurse.
Hendrik and Kaylene have traveled and served extensively in Africa. They helped found and lead a foundation supporting the Nhaloi Hospital (a Free Methodist hospital) in Mozambique.
As FMWM missionaries, Hendrik will lead a team supporting church leaders and mission districts in West Africa and assisting in pastoral training and formation. He is part of a team writing curriculum, training for mentorship, coaching, discipleship and ministry skills development. Kaylene will serve the work of the international missionary team to West Africa, focusing on financial administration and communication.
Pray For
- wisdom and a clear grasp of new tasks and responsibilities
- language acquisition as they study conversational French
- partnership building to create a solid base of prayer and financial support
- effective communication skills as they begin working with national leaders
- skills development in church planting, leadership training and discipleship concepts
- transition to life in West Africa
Recent Newsletters
Finding the Open Door
Mamoud Koroma is his name. He joined us after serving with another church. The pastor of this church had died, and young Koroma was unsure what he should do next. He started praying. Then he met Pastor Emmanuel Mbawa. Mbawa had returned to Sierra Leone after years of...
Ask Around
When looking for informal input from others, we “ask around.” What would you think if, at your baptismal service, your pastor “asked around” regarding whether your life had changed? That is just what happened recently in Mali. I was making a regular missionary visit...
The Logical Choice
Kalson was a member of Full Gospel Mission back home in the north. But when he came to Douala (Cameroon), he occasionally fellowshipped with the Free Methodists. “Occasionally” is an honest and generous adverb. Kalson is a teacher of philosophy and logic. About two...
Thriving from East to West…Africa
Thrive Kenya leaders Yvonne Mtafuta and Lillian Kanji were excited, eager and a bit nervous in the weeks leading up to their first international mission trip. They had the opportunity to travel to West Africa where they would share about Thrive with the FMC in Lomé,...