We did our rehearsed presentation with nine students each explaining a part. The "asks" are to support HR1692: The Sudan Peace, Security, and Accountability Act, attend a hearing tomorrow, push the administration on Congo, and support HR3571: The International Violence Against Women Act. Keating is already a co-sponsor of both bills so this was an easy sell. 
From there, we trekked through the snow across Capitol Hill to Sen. Markey's office. 
We met with Matt Willner who was thoroughly on top of all these issues and in fact we got into greater depth about aid issues - Sen. Markey is chair of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee that oversees USAID. Then Sen. Markey stopped by the meeting which was a thrill. 
After the meeting we trudged back through the snow to Longworth. 
After a couple of drop bys to leave info packets (one for Rep. Kennedy) we went to the conference luncheon. At the luncheon we heard from Amb. Garvelink (former ambassador to Congo), JP, and then Rep. Ed Royce - the chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee. He was great! He knows the issues deeply and he really cares. He mentioned a bill he is sponsoring to Electrify Africa. And he encouraged us to keep holding our legislators' feet to the fire. When they feel the heat, they may see the light. What an ally! 
To top it off, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke. She was awesome! She seconded all Rep. Royce's remarks. She described a trip to Darfur a few years ago - children who had seen too much and seemingly lost their souls - and a more recent one to Afghanistan where she met with several groups of women. These women emphasized the need to end corruption in order to create security. She ended with a great motto for the students. Don't agonize, organize! The students accused me of fan girling. Guilty. 
We also got to talk to JP and to compare his flowing locks to Troy's. 
MacKenzie met us there and took us on a Capitol tour - she said it was her favorite part of being an intern. 
We next went to see the old Senate chamber where a guide gave us a vivid description of Preston Brooks' cane attack on Charles Sumner that occurred here. 
We also went to Statuary Hall and took at picture with Sam Houston for Mr. H. 
To top off the tour, Mac had gotten us tickets to the House gallery. No pictures but it was fun for me to try to describe the scene at the State of the Union.
We grabbed all our bags which had been in Keating's office all day and then headed across Capitol Hill one last time to Union Station. 
After a nice meal in the food court, we took a rather crowded commuter train to BWI and caught our 715 flight home. Everyone was on the road to the Cape by 9 and home by 11. No excuse for missing school tomorrow! Except that we ran them ragged and some of them will need a day or two to recover. What an awesome trip!
We saw the Crypt, and the Rotunda.
Our next appointment was at Sen. Warren's office, where we met with Feras Sleiman, her foreign policy aide. The students again knocked it out of the park with their presentation. They were great lobbyists in the best sense of the term.
Now the sun was out and the day had turned quite nice for some pictures at the Capitol.
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