So the Northern Uganda Lobby Days have come and gone. We flew out to Washington, DC, not knowing who would be there, what to expect, or even what to wear. We thought… who would want to spend their time (and money) to go hear panels of speakers and talk to politicians? Maybe a couple hundred, tops.

But, oh, how you have amazed us once again! Like the Global Night Commute, we watched as hundreds began to gather for the invisible children of Northern Uganda. More than seven hundred of you, to be exact. Seven hundred felt that their single voice meant something. And seven hundred bright shirts were crowding the streets of DC, like swarms of bees.

We met so many of you – so many that had been a part of last year’s National Tour and Global Night Commute. Jessica Chan, one of our main tour managers, was a celebrity in the streets of DC. Believe us – it’s the weirdest thing to meet someone that you had been talking to on the phone for the past year. What astounded us the most is that each of you is so dedicated to this movement. When we say jump, you say how high… and then pull out the trampoline!

The response from Washington has already been ridiculous. Sen. Landrieu and Rep. Chris Smith held a press conference for the Lobby Days, with an all-star backup team to talk to the reporters about the crisis: Michael Poffenberger (our trusted friend at UgandaCAN, with quite a smart head on his shoulders), John Prendergast (a rockstar in his own right, representing the International Crisis Group), Betty Bigombe (um… The ONLY female peacemaker in the entire universe!), and Grace Akallo (a former Aboke girl that has the wit and poise of an ambassador for the invisible children, representing World Vision). Like we said…all-star.

And thank you for calling in – we got to the senators’ offices and the phones were OFF THE HOOK! There must have been thousands of you that called in! We heard that people were setting up tables on campuses with phones and numbers to call. Once again, we can only stand here and think that we would have NEVER known that there were people like you. Dream big and you’ll still get overachievers. You give us heart palpitations.

Though the Lobby Day is now a thing of the past, we all learned that this is just the beginning. So many people were just hearing about this 20-year war. We heard from both the all-stars and the politicians that we need to ride our government like a train, all the way to the last stop, so this war can end and the people can be helped. Be persistent and we’ll end this war without a gun – your voice is louder than you think.

So keep calling, keep spreading the word, and keep checking in.