Dear sisters,
To the Women of G Squad.
I’m so thankful for each one of you. I hold you all so dear to my heart.
I began this race not feeling comfortable talking to women. I always viewed myself as a guy’s guy, that I would not have anything in common with women. I remember week 2 in Honduras being overwhelmed by how loud and fast conversations would go; that by the time I had something to say, the convo had changed topics about 6 times. My head was spinning. But I fought for our relationships, especially when it was hard.
To some, I reminded you of an ex-boyfriend, a father, a brother, or [enter name of male who hurt you]. Some let me in quick; some held me at arm’s length for a while. I hope my character throughout the Race has helped redeem some of those past hurts. Regardless, I’m sorry you had to go through it all.
We’ve had plenty of in depth convos. We have laughed and cried together. We have had each other’s backs in countries around the world. At some point, I may have stepped in between you and someone sketchy. I’d gladly step in front of anyone to protect you.
I have taken you in as my own. You are my sister. You are my family. I will fight for you with everything I have.
And here we are, at the doorstep of a new season full of new relationships and new experiences. I treasure the things we walked through together. I take none of it for granted. Our relationship will look different since we are not reconvening every two months. For some, we may never see face to face again. However, I’m always here for you.
You are re-entering a world that left you mistrusting men, hurt and abused. You have spent 11 months living side by side with men who treat you the way the Lord sees you (or at least we tried to). The Lord will protect you greater than I could ever. And so this blog is me releasing you from my life into this new season. I pray that you see yourself the way the Lord sees you, as a beautiful princess. I pray that you don’t settle in relationships. That there are guys in the world who give us a bad name. That the qualities you’ve seen in me and the guys are new standards instead of exceptions to the rule.
I love you.
Your brother,
Gabe
