I am a recent convert, being baptized 10 months ago and I attended church regularly until last month when I was hired as a lab technician for a local factory. The place runs 24/7 and I am not guaranteed Sundays off. It's been 3 weeks since I have been able to attend sacrament. I'm very frustrated with the situation and began weighing my options and looking elsewhere for a job. It isn't easy in these tough economic times, but like an answer to my prayers I was extended a federal job offering for the Military Sealift Command last week. As a merchant mariner, I would have good benefits, a stable job, and decent pay. The catch is, I would have to uproot myself from this small California town and move to Norfolk, VA. After passing a competency test, I would go to a training school in New Jersey for a month then live out of a hotel back in Virgina for a few weeks until I get assigned a ship. Once I report for duty on said ship, it can be ported anywhere from the east coast to the Netherlands. I am tied to a ship for a minimum period of 4 month intervals before qualifying for paid leave of up to 2 weeks.
The opportunity seems like a good jump from having a "seasonal job" to an actual "career," but I am really concerned about Church access. Are there any sailors (Navy or civilian) LDS out there who can give me a better picture of what it's like living out of a suitcase on a boat and how much it may interfere with my church activities?
