Somehow now, a week later, RIDETZ already feels like a distant memory. Most of the riders have returned to their loved ones in the States, and I am sitting here in Tanzania trying to put something into words that feels impossible. In fact, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say all that I want to say about RIDETZ.

Because each participant’s journey is uniquely their own, I can only attempt to reflect on my personal experience and TFFT’s gratitude to everyone who helped make this RIDETZ adventure a success.

In addition to the riders, the TFFT team, and Adventure International, this includes: the family and friends who pitched in at home to make it possible for our riders to leave the country for two weeks, those who generously donated to support our riders’ fundraising efforts, our sponsors who showered our riders with many trip essentials, those who saw the importance of having Deb capture the journey and supported her with gifts in the form of goodies and monetary donations, and those who shared in our excitement and spread the word over Facebook and Twitter and in blogland.

RIDETZ is a monster undertaking. It requires an enormous commitment from each rider, Adventure International’s guides and crew, and TFFT. Executing an trip of this scale requires that everyone involved put in absolutely everything they have to give. The payoff, however, is also astronomical.

There is the literal payoff of a never-ending supply of stunning views, countless snuggles from sweet children along the way, delicious meals at the end of each long day, the satisfying feeling that every muscle in your body has exerted itself, the joy of walking to your tent under a sky glittering with the brightest stars imaginable, and then finally, finally the sheer bliss of reaching the ocean. Of course, there are also the much more abstract payoffs that come with personal growth and discovery, a shift in perspective, a new-found appreciation for life’s blessings, and a change in the definition of what one can and cannot live without.

In the end I think it is clear that we gain far more from an experience like RIDETZ than we could ever hope to give. RIDETZ is as much about personal fulfillment as it is about helping others. When we choose to place ourselves in such challenging circumstances and foreign places, we allow space for an amazing transformation to take place. We increase our awareness of the world and discover all that we are capable of achieving with our own two hands (or feet!).

An experience like RIDETZ hopes to crack open the world so that those involved come to know more and love more while also realizing that we are ALL capable of so much more than we ever thought humanly possible. Our riders become some of TFFT’s strongest ambassadors as they tour Tanzania in a way very few people have, witness TFFT’s mission in action, hold babies in TFFT’s Partner Orphanages, and meet the individuals who run these centers. They become invaluable to TFFT, and we can never properly express our gratitude to them.

TFFT exists to empower. Just as we strive to empower our incredible TFFT students, we strive to empower those connected to TFFT to use your life and your blessings to make a difference in the lives of others.

So what’s next?!

For those of you who cannot meet our children in person, we hope you will come to know and love them through this blog.

For those of you who feel ready to tackle RIDETZ, we welcome you to join us in 2014 (dates to be released this summer!).

For those of you who were part of RIDETZ 2012 and/or 2010, THANK YOU for taking a leap of faith, giving everything you have, and joining us on this journey. We cannot wait to see the ways that you continue to use this experience to empower others.

This won’t be the last you hear of RIDETZ. We plan to have Simon write something for you as well as welcoming any of the riders to chime in with their personal reflections. You can also read Deb’s impressions over on her blog.

**** Endless thanks to Deb Schwedhelm for using her gift as a photographer to capture RIDETZ’s magic. Every image in this post is property of Deb Schwedhelm Photography. Please do not use the images without photo-credit.