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A recent smash-and-grab burglary has robbed a Maryville missionary of his life's work.

Jonathan VandenHurk said he was called to preach at 12 years old while at Fellowship Baptist Church in Lenoir City. He graduated from Heritage High School in 2003 and received his bachelor's degree from The Crown College in Powell in 2007.

VandenHurk participated in the New Testament Church Pioneer program during his college freshman year. The 25-year-old met his wife, Natalie, on the trip. Natalie VandenHurk was teaching Sunday school classes at a church in Corby, England where she was born and raised, Jonathan VandenHurk said.

The couple, who were married in July 2007, are now missionaries to England. The Vandenhurks hope to become church planters, and they have looked at three sites in the London area.

The couple are currently on deputation with Macedonia World Baptist Missions, which is an independent Baptist organization located in Braselton, Ga. The VandenHurks are also part-time Chick-fil-A employees and preach at churches across the country.

Jonathan VandenHurk didn't have any speaking engagements planned this December, so he arranged a production of "The Unopened Gift" for their home church, Turner Street Baptist Church. VandenHurk had the play's music and lyrics on his laptop.

On Saturday night, he decided to swing by the church and finish setting up for the next day's play. VandenHurk said he carried a hay bale into the church to decorate his nativity manger set. The missionary said he later went back outside to grab the laptop from his 2001 Plymouth Neon and heard someone slam a door and then speed out of the parking lot.

VandenHurk discovered his driver's side window had been smashed out. He reported at 10:01 p.m. that someone had stolen a laptop and GPS device. Total value of the property and damage was estimated at $825.

The HP Pavilion laptop, which they had owned for four months, contained information that is crucial to their mission work. Jonathan VandenHurk said the laptop has information for nearly 8,000 deputation contacts, scheduled engagements for the next year, discipleship material, his college course work, devotion journals and about 50 sermons that he wrote.

They also used the GPS unit on their missionary travels that have taken them to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Ohio and Illinois, Jonathan VandenHurk said.

If anyone has information about the VandenHurks' laptop, please contact them at 216-4744. "We ask for everyone's prayers to get to England in the Lord's timing," Jonathan VandenHurk said.