Former Teams and Volunteers

LakeRidge UMC Team

The LakeRidge UMC team recently returned from Malambo, Tanzania with changed hearts and many exciting stories. The team was led by Mary Kay McCauley and consisted of 8 women and 2 men all eager to serve the Masai people in northern Tanzania. They worked alongside the director of 'Help for the Masai,' Angelika, at the Masai school in Arusha, as well as out in the bush in a village called Malambo. They performed eye exams and distributed glasses, assisted with medical exams, raised funds for a new classroom, did repairs at the facilities, and preached the gospel. The team was thrilled with what they saw and the Masai people they met and formed friendships with, and plan to return next year. At the end of their trip, the team toured Ngorongoro crater and Tarangire National Parks for an exciting photographic safari.

Sambasha Team

OMEGA's latest volunteer team came all the way from the Texan plains of Lubbock, Texas to the African plains of northern Tanzania in October. Susanna Hale led the team to the Sambasha community, on the outskirts of Arusha. There were 13 people in this team, and they worked on a Compassion International school with the local Masai community. Together they built a classroom, cleaned and painted an existing classroom, built chalkboards, painted playground equipment and delivered a lot of school supplies to the children. They also participated in a Friday evening worship service with the Sambasha community, and a Sunday morning service. Several team members were musically talented and led several praise songs, and although the language barrier was a hindrance, the worship was spectacular and all were blessed in God’s presence! The team visited the homes of several people in the community after Sunday service, and were served tea and given the chance to exchange cultures. The team spent two days on a photographic safari to Tarangire National Park, and had lions roaring outside their camp all night!

OMEGA has several Compassion projects we want teams to experience. If you want to make a trip or lead a team to Tanzania, perhaps this is something that God is calling you to do.

David Miller Team

May 31st found a team of 15 volunteers on the long flight from Lubbock, Texas to Arusha, Tanzania. This team spent 10 days working at the Amani School for Orphans in Usa River, on the outskirts of Arusha. They built a concrete basketball court, led a sports camp for the students, taught reading and geography, visited the homes of the teachers, and played games with the children and had a wonderful cross-cultural experience with the students and staff of Amani. Six of the members of this team were from Pin Oaks Christian Fellowship in Anna, Texas. This church is now sponsoring six orphan students at Amani. After the project, the team went on a photographic safari to Tarangire National Park.

Heart and Hands

OMEGA hosted a team from Heart and Hands ministry in May 2006. Heart and Hands is a ministry started several years ago by Milton Cunningham, former Chaplin of Baylor University. Heart and Hands sends college mission teams all over the world, and asked OMEGA to host these young men. The team spent several days in Moshi working on the MCF farm with Ed Lloyd, then they went out to Mswakini Primary School where they built a soccer field, supplied the school with enough books for all of grade 4, and played with the students at the school.

These young men saw a lot of the people and different cultures northern Tanzania has to offer. They took a lot of wonderful photographs (www.austinmann.com/africa), some that can be found in OMEGA brochures and website.

Brathey Youth Team

During May OMEGA hosted a team of 22 high school students and leaders from the UK last year. The group got involved with Wari Secondary School, located at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, where they immersed themselves in Tanzanian culture. The trip was a huge success and provided the platform for life changing cross-cultural experiences. Not only did the group paint the school, but they also provided the school with First Aid training, and emergency medical supplies. The students also climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and went on an amazing safari.

Aldersgate UMC Team

OMEGA's first team visited Tanzania in October of 2005. A large group from Aldersgate United Methodist Church, located in Lubbock, Texas, made the first of many teams for OMEGA. Hosted by the President of OMEGA, Jerry Hale, the group worked alongside local members of the community to build the walls of a hostel used by the Nkweseko Church. They also painted dingy walls bright colors, did many other activities and developed friendships among the people involved with the Nkweseko Church.

Meet our Volunteers!

Volunteer	Activity and Description
	Kim Robbins (top left) and Ruthanne Buckham (bottom left) spent 2 weeks of their summer to work with the orphans at Tuamkeni Orphan Care School. The youngsters at Tuamkeni were ecstatic to receive the hugs, love, and smiles from the two southern California girls. Kim and Ruthanne attend Skyline Church in San Diego and became interested in missions in Africa. Using money that they raised, Kim and Ruthanne were able to buy school uniforms for all 38 of the students and also supplemented the school with toys, children's books and enough food for one month. They also raised money used in HIV testing for 42 children and 26 adults.
	Ed Lloyd originally went on the first OMEGA mission team October 2006, and decided to return to Tanzania for an extended stay. He went to work at the MCF farm in Moshi in March and in August he visited a school in Babati. Here he was introduced to Aldersgate School, under the direction of Ben and Kelli Shular of Vancouver, WA, and the Church of God in Tanzania. Ed felt this was where God was leading him. Ed has already raised $$ and is in Babati doing mission work. He will be helping the Shulars build dormitories and administration offices. This time Debra, Ed's wife, plans to join him where she will volunteer at the school and in the operations of the mission project as a whole. If you would like to assist the Lloyds with financial aid, please send your contributions to Omega Mission International, and mark "Lloyds" on your check.
	Aaron White, a graduate of Northern Michigan University, spent six months volunteering with OMEGA where he hosted several teams and volunteers, did graphic design for project brochures, the Tuamkeni Orphan School, fundraising literature, various team projects, and contributed to the design of the OMEGA website. Aaron hopes to one day continue working in the field, serving the wonderful people of Tanzania.
	Andrew Polk, a 25-year-old graduate of Texas A&M university, spent one month teaching English at the rural Mswakini Primary School. The students and the teachers of Mswakini were incredibly grateful for the time Andrew spent at their school and stated, "Andrew was the best Mzungu (non-African) to ever come to Mswakini School, please send him back." Everyone at Mswakini and the OMEGA staff will miss Andrew while he is away in Hong Kong teaching English and Math.
	Stephen Dykstra of Holland, Michigan spent nearly four months in a remote area of Tanzania working with Help For the Massai. In an area where water and food was extremely scarce, Stephen worked with the mission in that area doing maintenance work, food distribution, and various other tasks.
	Emily Tafoya spent six weeks this summer working as an after school tutor for kids attending the Help for the Massai School. She absolutely loved her time in Tanzania and was sad to leave.
	Scott Neckers, a Senior Law Major at Hope College in Michigan, spent two months of his spring semester internship working with OMEGA in various projects.
	Noree Logsden of Hope College spent several weeks working at Amani Orphan School as a teacher's assistant. She stayed with a family of one of the teachers and thoroughly enjoyed her time in Africa.

opportunities

Volunteer in Tanzania

OMEGA is currently looking for individuals to volunteer in education projects across Tanzania. Learn more.

OMEGA Vision Trip

Join OMEGA on a safari trip to Tanzania for those interested in the vision of what we do.

Partner with OMEGA

You can change the lives of both volunteers and children in Africa. If you are unable to join us overseas, consider joining our financial support team.