***Pray about whether or not God wants you and your gifts at work in Tanzania

***Gather up information about Tanzania and about travel there – check the Internet and the links page on our site
***Decide what area of ministry you feel called to do in Tanzania – what can you do? (even if you are uncertain, just let us know why you feel called to come)

 ***Decide on the exact date you wish to come and how long you can stay. When each team comes, what each team does, where you go, how long you stay will factor into the costs.

***Determine how many will be on your team – and have a list of their full names

***Contact Barbara or Elton Cooke by phone or email immediately – to get on the calendar – let them know what you want to do – they can help you know what is needed - give them the list of team members including male or female and approximate ages.

!!!!!!NOTE: Right now we are not allowing anyone under 17 to come. We do make exceptions – but we must talk with you – the parent – and we must talk with the child – even then, we may suggest that the child wait. Exceptions are rare – please understand that working in Tanzania requires a certain maturity and the rough roads and length of travel can be really exhausting for a young child. We want everyone that comes to do ministry with us to stay healthy and safe and be free to focus on the work that God has called you there to do.   

***Remember we can not take a team bigger than 19-20 people, this is because of housing and transportation limitations  

Now – call to make your airline reservations. Do this immediately. No matter how much time there is before you need to come to Tanzania – get the reservation for your team done early! Have your dates and your list of team members in hand. You may have to adjust your dates a day or so one way or the other to accommodate your full team – be ready to do this. !!!!

If your dates are adjusted at all, please, let the Cooke's know about the change.  Check our website for the link to TCI.   Marsha Tomlin can make the reservations with the airlines. She will tell you about how to pay for the tickets and when your deadlines are.  

***PASSPORT INFO***Arrange to get your passport – or be sure that yours is current. Your local post office can provide you with the location of a postal office with the passport forms. Follow those instructions. Please allow the maximum time that you have to get the passport. Do not wait too late.  There is information on our site for the U.S. State Department-Tanzanian Embassy.  NOTE: Once you get your passport, make several copies of the two front pages together, lay the passport flat on a copier, color copies are best, but black an white will work.  Once you have these copies pack these pages in your checked baggage.  This way you will have you passport with you, at all times, and you will have copies of these important pages separately, in case it is lost or stolen. 

**MEDICAL INFO***Go ahead and start working on your inoculations. Go to your local health department and ask for help with medical needs for travel overseas. Tell them you are going to Tanzania and they will look it up and inform you of any shots that you may need. Some are required, some are recommended. Its your call. Be sure to get what is required.

Every person coming through Kilimanjaro International Airport must have had their shots  - most especially their yellow fever shot. They MUST bring the yellow card that gives the info regarding their health updates and shot records. The last team had to pay $50 per person for those who did not have the card or had not had the yellow fever shot. Everyone on our team had had the shot, but some did not have the card to prove it! If you come without the shot they are standing ready at the airport to give you one on the spot - and you must pay for it there. We do not want anyone getting a shot at the airport here. Dangerous! 

Everyone needs to go to Passport Health or to their local health department and arrange for all their shots. most are good for 10 years and it is a cost worth paying when you get here and travel here and eat here.

   You will also need a prescription for anti-malaria medication. This is absolutely necessary! Do not come to us without it. It is an oral medication that you usually take once a week beginning the week before you go and continuing for a few weeks after you return.   

***VISA INFO*****You will also need a Visa to enter Tanzania. You do not get this until you are six weeks ahead of your departure date. Go on-line to “Embassy of the United Republic of Tanzania” and then go to “visa application forms”. Print the forms and fill them out. Include everything the form asks for in a manila envelope. We suggest that you send the forms (you can each do this or you can send all of the applications together) by FedEx and include inside another FedEx envelope (already paid for and addressed back to you). This way you can receive them a little faster and safer – since your passport is in this packet! The envelope will come back to you with only your passport in it. Look through the passport and you will find your visa on one of the pages.   

***INSURANCE INFO**Also you will need to secure travel insurance from Adams and Associates. We always use them – they provide all insurance for all mission travel and missionaries on the field – and they provide full coverage for only $2 per day of travel!

***MONEY INFO**--This information is VERY IMPORTANT and we suggest that you put it everything that you send out to your teams

Charge Cards--When you come to Tanzania we do not recommend your bringing any charge cards – there is only one very expensive place that we take you that would even accept a card – and no one that comes for a mission trip would ever be able to use their card in this shop – it is interesting to see, but too high to buy.

Traveler's Checks--You cannot bring Traveler’s Checks – no place to cash them.

Cash--This gets you to the point – you must bring cash. American money. 

    When you are here you can exchange your American bills for Tanzanian shillings. 

    No bank here or exchange bureau will accept any bills printed before 2003!!! 

    Even if you bring money to us – we cannot use or deposit bills printed before 2003. You can bring all the money in the world – and if it has been printed before 2003 – here it is worthless and you will be really stuck with no useable money. Do not think that this does not matter and that if you have a problem, someone can bail you out. They can’t. 

    So……..please remember to emphasize this with every person and even right before you leave – check to be sure everyone has passports and plane tickets and double check the money!! 

    The year printed is found on the left side of the front of the bill near the bottom. Please advise your people so no one has a problem concerning date printed. Thank you.

***Now – keep on praying and preparing. Gather together the things you will need for the particular ministry that you will be doing. You can check our website for a list of suggestions to bring for the Tanzanians – and a little list of things that we might need. We update these lists from time to time, so the list for your team may be different than the list for another team! That just means we are making progress! There will also be a list there (on the site) for things you need to bring – or not! As an example-women, do not bring shorts and do bring skirts to teach in, go to church in and go out in anytime!! At our house, pants or Capri pants are fine. Also, on your safari day(s) any kind of pants are fine – NOT SHORTS!! You will be in a culture that we respect and we ask our guests to respect it as well. Also, you will be glad when you meet tsetse flies and mosquitoes that you are covered. Check the site for those lists – there are other things you need to know.

***When your airline tickets are paid for Marsha will send you the tickets. Keep them somewhere safe and where you won’t forget them!!  Notify the Cooke’s about the time of your scheduled arrival in Kilimanjaro airport.