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
Two-Thirds Through
The year has been wonderful! Driven by faith, the Wesley Missionary Institute opened in January 2021 with the first class of 11 students. Most teachers have been Togolese this first term, but they have also welcomed teachers from the U.S. and Nigeria. To remind you,...
Nafissa’s Story
From fear to confidence, this is Nafissa’s story. Nafissa is from Mali. She lost her husband, and she has been supporting herself and her two daughters through her service in the military. Not long ago, she started having health problems. At first, Nafissa attempted...