“You go in thinking you’re meeting criminals, but you walk out having met friends.”
For Maartje, mission work has been a lifelong calling. Born in the Netherlands, she has been passionate about outreach since her youth. In 1982, she moved to South Africa to serve in a mission hospital after seeing a post advertised in a mission paper. Years later, she brought that heart for service to Crossroads, joining as one of the early mentors after learning about the ministry through her church.
Maartje served as a mentor while still working full-time and continued even after retiring in 2017 and moving. Today, she volunteers by preparing lessons, managing mailings, and supporting the team whenever she’s available—while also volunteering with Mercy Ships, traveling yearly to provide healthcare and support to those in need.
Prison ministry, she says, has deepened her compassion. “You see them as people, as friends,” she shared. “Later, you may learn their crimes . . . but they are also humans like you and me.” When she reads letters from her students and learns about their histories and hunger for hope, she has empathy for them. “If I grew up in that situation, I could have done the same. It kind of helps you understand. It doesn’t justify it, but it helps you understand that we are not better than they are.”
Maartje believes that Crossroads gives people in prison something many of them have never had: hope. “Some are in for life, but they now live with hope in Christ,” she said. “That’s the power of this program. That’s why I stay involved.”
You can make a difference, too. Like Maartje, you can walk alongside people in prison seeking hope and redemption. Sign up to become a Crossroads mentor today.