Hink and Kaylene Smidderks are serving across Africa, with a primary focus on West Africa, and are based in Lomé, Togo. Hink serves as director of leadership development, overseeing the training and equipping of new leaders for ordination and church leadership. Kaylene leads communication efforts for the Africa Area through social media and print publications. Both are learning French and engaging deeply with West African culture.
Pray For
- progress in French-language learning
- safety while traveling throughout Africa
- curriculum-development teams as they create new courses
- growth and strengthening of social and video media teams
- establishment of redemptive relationships with church leaders and unchurched friends
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,...