Five friends and I walked two miles to Northpointe Community Church, the meeting place of the Global Night Commute (GNC) on April 29. We had the impression we were going to end the war in Northern Uganda and save the Invisible Children.

After our arrival we wrote letters to our state Senators and the President protesting the injustices taking place in Africa and telling them about the GNC.

As I snacked on Cheez-Its and beef jerky, I looked at the measly crowd of semi-motivated students that had showed up thus far and began to wonder if we really could make a difference. We are just a bunch of kids who can?t vote and still read (and believe) tabloids.

A couple staff members who were happily situated on the roof of the church announced that we would not be sleeping on the grass lawn, where we had been relaxing for the past few hours, but on the asphalt of the parking lot.

The girls of my group dragged our sleeping bags to the ?girls only? section of the circle already forming around us and joined others from Fresno Christian. As we stayed up, talking about boys and make-up, I again wondered if this would do anything for the Invisible Children.

Although no real media showed up, we had fun; it felt like a giant sleepover. Could we really make a difference by sleeping outside for one night?

I continued to doubt what effect we could have when the clock hit 6 A.M., when the staff gathered us together for a group shot. Being at the center of the mass made me realized just how many people had shown up.

Maybe some involved were there because they forgot about their required community service hours for class, but most came because they genuinely cared about the kids halfway around the world.

Pictures were taken, goodbyes said, and backpacks packed. Soon after everyone sleepily drove away in order to get some shut-eye. It wasn?t until the next day that I received an e-mail about the combined effect of the GNC and saw what a difference we had made.

It stated what other people in America had done and then said, ??Apoyo matek? which means ‘beyond thank you’ in Luo, which is one of the languages spoken in Northern Uganda. Thank you for being a part of something purposeful. Thank you for fighting for justice for people you may never meet, and knowing they deserve what you, and your own children, would. Don?t for a moment think your being there didn?t make a difference. What an enormous victory for the people of Northern Uganda.?

It was then when it hit me: I really had made a difference; we were changing the world. So thanks to those three guys who went to Africa, saw what was happening, and did something about it. You inspired us to do something too.

For more information on the Global Night Commute, read the April 28 online article, “Plight of abducted children inspires Global Night Commute” by Brianna Stobbe. For the history of the Global Night Commute, go to the April 1 online article, “Faces for the Invisible Children” by Kaley Hearnsberger.

If readers want to know how they can help, they can visit the Invisible Children’s website at www.invisiblechildren.com for more information.