To Write Love on Her Arms

From Chris in Australia.

Feb. 23, 2010 at 12:44pm

Hello from Australia!

Jason and I landed in Brisbane last week to get ready for our trip around Australia on Soundwave. This is my second year doing the festivals for TWLOHA and Jason's first, which was great for two reasons. One, I have been here before and was excited to share some of the things I remember with him. And two, I knew what was going through his head. The anticipation of coming to a new continent not knowing what to expect except the beauty that we've been fed through television and movies over the years.

The trip over was as smooth as it could have been. There were no delays or bags lost and we had great company in a sweet lady named Sonia beside us. As I thought back to last year, I remembered feeling humbled and honored to experience some of these cities just once in my lifetime. Living in America, in a time zone 14 hours away, you carry this mysterious wonder about what this giant island could be like, and to have some of those thoughts and questions answered is such an amazing feeling. I flew home last year processing every bit of the trip, conversations and random unexpected things that happened (like dipping my toes in the Indian Ocean). Returning this year, walking through and driving around the cities, I realized how much more there was to experience of this country. There is so much more than just it's beauty, which is overwhelming in itself.

Being in Brisbane and Sydney for the first two dates of Soundwave reminded us of this. We've had great interactions with everyone here, spreading the ideas of hope and help and community that a lot of you are familiar with hearing us talk about. Even seeing the faces of people we met last year and having conversations with them, noticing a difference in their step and in their tone of voice, hearing how much their lives have changed in just one year, was such a warm welcome for us. Words and stories like these bring the feeling that our presence last year was not just for selling t-shirts, but for a bigger picture. The ideas that we try to communicate every day in the work we do.

Thank you for bringing us back. Really, thank you. You guys are the ones who used your voices over the past four years to say that these issues matter. That these struggles are real. That people aren't discussing them enough. We were invited here because the people putting together Soundwave believe in our message and what we're trying to do, and see the impact it has on this community that we're all a part of. You have allowed our message to reach so many around the world, and being here reminds me of that. Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth - we can't wait to see you again.

All the best,
Chris

Posted in General by Chris Youngblood

Comments (9)

Glad you guys are having a great time. Thanks so much for coming out. I bought a shirt in Brisbane and you guys were so humble and nice, it was great to see someone who actually cared and appreciated the people who were buying merch. Enjoy the rest of your trip!

1 | Left by Elise | Feb. 23, 2010 at 1:56pm

Welcome back; it's great to hear your perspective on our beautiful country and the people within. We may have used our voices to bring you back this year, but all thanks go to you guys for inspiring us to join this conversation in the first place :)

Thank YOU!

2 | Left by AdamAlive | Feb. 23, 2010 at 3:11pm

Hey I'm glad you guys are having a good time! Its great what you guys do... and because of it I've been sober for a week.

3 | Left by Kendra | Feb. 23, 2010 at 5:53pm

Hey Guys! So lovely to meet you both over the weekend! Thank you for being ambassadors of an incredible cause and life-changing message. Hopefully our paths will cross again when i'm over your way in June. God bless. xx

4 | Left by Beth | Feb. 24, 2010 at 3:08am

Hi...im Tania from Mandurah Western Australia and my beautiful daughter Laura introduced me to the wonderful community of TWLOHA!! Now my friends in the office im at and their friends are all members of the facebook site and we all write LOVE and explain the meaning to anyone who looks or asks. I have young & not so young friends who experience bad body image, addiction, low self worth and who cut themselves, harm themselves and abuse drugs and alcohol to numb the pain. Communities like yours are a fantastic help to all who find you and I hope as more people all over the world learn about you the love will be spread and it will grow and people will be able to find TWLOHA members and get help from one another. Keep up your amazing work and call on us aussies if you need any thing done to help the cause down here.

BUNDLES AND BUNDLES OF LOVE .... Tania xxxxxxxxxxxx

P.S My daughter and son will both be at the Perth Soundwave on Monday they can hardly wait !!!

5 | Left by Tania | Feb. 25, 2010 at 1:05am

Glad you guys enjoyed your time here! Will we see you again next year? Hope so. Huge thank you for the effort you guys put in by coming all the way out to Aus. It was awesome to see you at the Perth Soundwave. I am proudly wearing my new shirt, which is already getting many questions - and of course, it opens up an easy avenue for spreading the word about hope!

^_^
God bless, and I hope your trip home is/was comfortable!
xx
Fayth

6 | Left by Fayth | Mar. 2, 2010 at 1:24am

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7 | Left by Know More About Home Care Tips Here | Mar. 10, 2010 at 10:06am

thanks so much for being at Sydney soundwave! You guys really made my day :)

8 | Left by Bek | Mar. 11, 2010 at 1:25am

Hi guys,
We were at Soundwave this year, but weren't aware of TWLOHA until last month when we saw Oh Sleeper play in Oz and Micah was wearing one of your shirts. What awesome work you do!!
Are you guys going to be at Soundwave in Sydney next year? We'd love to buy some of your merch but we're having some probs on your site with shipping to Australia, so we would love to buy some merch at Soundwave.
Cheers!!

9 | Left by Mel | Oct. 4, 2010 at 9:29pm

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