May I ask the Navy?

[Mayflower1]

On my path to self-discovery though... I might have made a mistake... My heart is really in ministry, and in all realization, except for maybe RP, there isn't a lot of ministry in the Navy. Though the army has been been trying to contact me for some strange reason.

 

[Sybaris]

My heart is really in ministry, and in all realization, except for maybe RP, there isn't a lot of ministry in the Navy.

"Ministry" is wherever you are.

 

[college4christ81]

"Ministry" is wherever you are.

That is very true what Sybaris says. I mean when my friends asked me how could I minister in the Military, I told them maybe I could minister to those who need encouragement or try to lead people to Christ who are looking for the true hope. You never know how you can be used......you just have to try and be usable in any situation by God meaning be Godly, show the love of Christ.

 

[college4christ81]

I took the ASVAB and got a score of 40. So now as long as I pass the medical phyisical I will be in the Navy.

 

[Mayflower1]

very nice.

 

[college4christ81]

bad thing is I am now waiting to here if I'm cleared to take my medical exam. If I am cleared medically then I will get a call in the next few hours telling me to report to be driven to a hotel where I will stay for tonight and then in the morning at 5:30 am I will go do my medical exam.

 

[Mayflower1]

I pray for the best collegeforchrist. And I know what you mean by ministry is where you are. It is just how you want to use it. There are so many ministries. An all out evangelism, discipleship, singing, kids, so many... it is just so hard to choose from. I would like a little bit of everything myself. It is just hard to know where God wants you. How about Christians in the military. Is it easy for you to devote time to God or is that time strained? Is it much different worshipping God as a military brat then as a civilian?

 

[college4christ81]

I pray for the best collegeforchrist. And I know what you mean by ministry is where you are. It is just how you want to use it. There are so many ministries. An all out evangelism, discipleship, singing, kids, so many... it is just so hard to choose from. I would like a little bit of everything myself. It is just hard to know where God wants you. How about Christians in the military. Is it easy for you to devote time to God or is that time strained? Is it much different worshipping God as a military brat then as a civilian?

well I am not in the military yet. I am just very close to being in the Military.

 

[Sybaris]

Is it easy for you to devote time to God or is that time strained? Is it much different worshipping God as a military brat then as a civilian?

Worship takes many forms and is what you make it.

I don't think you have a very accurate picture of military life, understandably so. Was your father/mother in the military?
On every base there is a chapel, if that is what you require for worship.
Duty on a base is either shift work or 9-5 with some periodic collateral functions thrown in. On a deployment the hours and length may be different, maybe not, depends on your occupation and the operations at hand.
Regardless, everyone has a reasonable amount of time for worship if they choose to do so. Again, it's what you make it.

The U.S. is a Judeo-Christian society and the religious mindset is interwoven with the military. For example, the chaplains throughout the military orchestrate a lot of outreach programs. Usually they are in the form of providing food or construction/rehab efforts at churches and schools in the local community, during port visits, or near bases in other countries. These projects are manned by volunteers from the local/visitng unit.

 

[3girls2dogs]

We have never had trouble making time for worshipping the Lord as a military family, and I don't even use the Base Chapel They do offer amazing programs, though. My husband has never been prevented from worshipping either, even in a combat area.

I think that, for me at least, worshipping takes place more inside you. You can worship and communicate with our Lord within yourself at any time you want. The military does not ask that you not do that, nor does it actively try and prevent it.

 

[Mayflower1]

"Worship" and "ministry" are two different things. I can worship God anywhere, but I know that there is a specific ministry where God wants me to serve.

 

[Sybaris]

Well then you should be able to combine the answers given to your questions and figure out if the military is complentary to your goals in life.

 

[AndOne]

Hello! I called a Navy Recruiter today. I am going to set up an appointment sometime tommorrow. That will answer a lot of my questions since I was thinking about joining. It isn't set in stone yet, but I have many questions about my future and where God wants me. Maybe an assistent chaplain in the Navy would be the right place.

But until then, I would love to hear from some of the Navy here on Christian Forums. Anyone? I'd just like to hear some of your personal experiences and what it has done for you. And I know there is no branch of the military better then the other. I was just thinking Navy because my brother was in it and my nephew just graduated boot camp, and my sister almost joined! So what about other branches? Is it pretty much the same? Are they very different from each other?

But mostly from the Navy since that is the one I would probably most join.

Is boot camp as bad as in the movies? I wake up at 2:30am every morning for work so as far as that goes, I'd probably get more sleep, but do they yell all the time? :o

I've dealt with the Navy numerous times in my career. I lived on a Navy base when stationed in Guam.

Good service - those in it are dedicated and hard working - but I am not too impressed with their personnel support. For example when in Guam I noticed that the junior enlisted housing was trashed - and everything available for recreation was falling about. Basketball courts going to pot - rusted weights in weight rooms, etc - then you go over to the Air Force side of the island and have the complete opposite. Brand new golf course, state-of-the-art fitness rooms, impeccable housing for junior personnel. Something to think about it.

You are doing the right thing - trying to contact Navy folks for the right scoop. Navy recruiters (like any other) cannot be trusted. Go to the forums on www.military.com as well. I'm sure you will get some good input there as well.

 

[Ian373]

Lily00-

I've been in the Navy for 8 years now, and I must say that joining it was probably the smartest decision I had ever made.

Bear in mind that I'm saying this as an officer and as a man whose father served in the Navy (as an enlisted SeaBee during Vietnam). I must say that Behe's Boy's comments about the Air Force accomodations compared to the Navy's are not without merit. The Air Force is generally considered throughout the military to have the best housing and overall quality of life for its personnel, and I once read a study that showed how Air Force personnel get more sleep than any other service. However, I'm not about to promote the Air Force over my own service. Here's a short list of pros & cons regarding the Navy...

Pro:
1) Excellent duty stations (Virginia Beach, San Diego, Honolulu, Jacksonville, etc.). In other services you may spend time in Minot North Dakota, Abilene Texas, etc.
2) Great travel opportunities. All branches of the military will send you around the world, but none like the Navy. In one deployment I enjoyed 12 port visits in 6 European countries.
3) Onboard quality of life. Living on a ship, even at sea, isn't so bad. Compare to living in a tent or makeshift barracks somewhere. Access to air conditioning is a blessing which cannot be understated. And working with chaplains, you're more likely to find yourself on a large-deck platform (carrier or large amphib).
4) You're less likely to go to Iraq. Okay, this is subjective since I'm not in favor of our military being there in the first place. But if not spending too much time there is important to you then you should realize that sailors are rarely sent there, whereas other services (Army and Marines especially, not to mention the poor National Guard) are constantly rotated back and forth between long (12-15 month) tours in Iraq.
5) Sharp people. Sure, there's a wide range of people who join any service and I've met plenty of sailors with pudding for brains (mostly boatswain's mates), but overall sailors tend to be very bright people who are constantly being tested and trained. On the whole, we use our brains more than our bodies compared to, say the Marine Corps. Jarheads in turn say sailors are out of shape. An old Navy joke says that "Marine" stands for Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Essential.

Con:
1) Deployments. Like I said, the Army and Marines have the tough deployments nowadays, but Navy ships still go out every couple years for around six months at a time. That's a long time to go without family, but at least most Navy deployments are punctuated with good port visits.
2) Housing. As a junior enlisted sailor, you'll either live in some kind of base housing (if assigned to a shore command) which may or may not be up to lush Air Force standards, or you'll be living in a ship's berthing space if assigned to a ship. And actually living on a ship for several years isn't much fun.
3) Religion. I only bring this up because you're talking about working with chaplains. Personally, I've found that the Navy seems to be the least religious of the four main services. I happen to find it comforting (and a sign of professionalism) that religion rarely comes up in discussions with other sailors, but I don't know how you'd feel about that.

Anyway, best of luck to you and hopefully I'll see you around the fleet.

 

[college4christ81]

Wanted to let you all know I am closer to getting in the Navy. The Medical review board approved me for a wavier for some medical stuff I had. Now I am just waiting to hear if the Chief medical officer approves me to have a physical.

 

[college4christ81]

Hey I had my MEPS today and they found out I have scoliosis of the spine. There's a chance that I could get a wavier though.

 

[Mayflower1]

Have you heard anything back yet college4christ? I hadn't seen this in awhile, but I am praying again now.

I think in the future, the Navy might be good for me if that is the Lord's will for my life. As of right now though, I jumped ahead in making that decision. Right now, I have just auditioned for a great ministry that sings across the country and gives a full scholarship to Liberty University for every year I am in it... That is something my heart is really into. I love God, and honestly I want to combine that with music. Navy doesn't have vocalists... But if I don't make this (only ten out of thousands make it since twenty are returning though I made the first phase), I have decided I am going to save up for college and go to Liberty. Then I will truly be able to find which ministry the Lord wants me to be in and it won't be sporadic and sudden to where it could mean regret in the future.

I admire all the armed forces. What ya'll do for our country is beautiful. It takes so much sacrifice and courage and though this isn't the path I have chosen at this point of my life, I do want you all to know I do appreciate what ya'll are doing.

And college4christ, I hope that everything will go well!

 

[Mayflower1]

And by the way, they see what I had done as a testimony and not a liability... and that is so important to me that people know this is something I got through.

 

[college4christ81]

Have you heard anything back yet college4christ? I hadn't seen this in awhile, but I am praying again now.

I think in the future, the Navy might be good for me if that is the Lord's will for my life. As of right now though, I jumped ahead in making that decision. Right now, I have just auditioned for a great ministry that sings across the country and gives a full scholarship to Liberty University for every year I am in it... That is something my heart is really into. I love God, and honestly I want to combine that with music. Navy doesn't have vocalists... But if I don't make this (only ten out of thousands make it since twenty are returning though I made the first phase), I have decided I am going to save up for college and go to Liberty. Then I will truly be able to find which ministry the Lord wants me to be in and it won't be sporadic and sudden to where it could mean regret in the future.

I admire all the armed forces. What ya'll do for our country is beautiful. It takes so much sacrifice and courage and though this isn't the path I have chosen at this point of my life, I do want you all to know I do appreciate what ya'll are doing.

And college4christ, I hope that everything will go well!

yep I just went to Meps today. They took me off to another location and took my Xrays and thne returned me to the Meps building to talk with the doctor. The doctor decided I had 13 degree curvature of the spine which means my back is in good condition. I thought I had a wavier for the asthma but I don't so I am waiting for the wavier to be granted on that and then I am through. Please pray that I get into the Navy with the Job of Chaplin assistant or a job in mass communications which would mean a job in something dealing with photography, video, or photo shopping stuff.

 

[Mayflower1]

Wow, that sounds great collegeforchrist! I pray for the best!