“Navigators is a mix of ordinary life, shared culture, and seeking God together”
When 29‑year‑old Brazilian biologist Letícia moved to the Netherlands for her master’s in ecology, she got what she had always wanted: to go far away, explore on her own, and experience life in another culture. She had applied to universities in the Netherlands, Germany and England, praying that God would guide her to the right place. In the end, a scholarship from Radboud and a deep inner sense of peace made the decision clear to her: “Okay, God, now I understand this is where I’m supposed to go.”
Finding Community and Faith in Wageningen
When Maho Furita moved from Japan to Wageningen to study Sustainable Business and Innovation, she stepped into a completely different world. New country, new culture, new language, and a new way of living out her Christian faith. She looks back on her first months in the Netherlands with deep gratitude, especially for the community she found through Navigators Internationals, her church, and her Connect Group.
“My time at the Navigators has molded me and I have received so much”
Joshan: Being an international student away from home for the first time with no friends or family around, I didn’t really know where to look for a community of any kind, so I was very lucky to be invited by one of the staff who I met at my church.
“God had a plan for me in Amsterdam”
Levare was looking for friends, meaningful conversations, and a group that would help her to stay connected to God. She found all three things with the international group of the Navgators in Amsterdam.
Encountering God
Hemanth grew up in the Southern part of India. He was born into a Hindu family. Though it was expected of him that he would also blindly follow the religion of his ancestors: Hemanth’s story turned out quite different.
My home away from home
I moved to Amsterdam in August 2019, at the start of my bachelor’s at the University of Amsterdam. Before coming to Amsterdam, I had two gap years and spent a lot of that time travelling, and during my time away Christian community was lacking in my life.