Hello! My name is Jophiël van der Meij, and starting in September 2025, I'll be joining the Schiphol Airport Chaplaincy as a spiritual caregiver.
I'm 31 years old and live with my partner, Jasmijn van Elteren, in Leiden. In our free time, we enjoy visiting museums and theatre, or taking a stroll through nature. We also love playing elaborate board games. Since I was young, I’ve always been enchanted by stories. I enjoy reading books and watching a good movie or TV series. Additionally, I lose myself in the process of writing my own stories from time to time.
Discovering how stories shape our lives has always been a passion of mine, also in my studies and jobs. Most recently, I was studying for a Master's degree in Theology and Religious Studies: Spiritual Care at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. During this program, we learned much about the role of spirituality and meaning-making in people's lives. In the years before that I studied Religious Studies in Leiden. Before my time at the Schiphol Airport Chaplaincy, I worked at the Watersnoodmuseum in Zeeland, maintaining their website about the 1953 North Sea Flood. I'm looking forward to my time at the Schiphol Airport Chaplaincy, as well as hearing the stories of the thousands of travelers and staff who are making their way through Schiphol every day.