Delegates traveling from a former Soviet republic personally experienced how frightening warfare can be. Their train was caught in the midst of gunfire between opposing forces. How happy they were to arrive safely in Kiev and enjoy the love and unity among the numerous ethnic groups of many nations in the stadium!

A number of German and Russian delegates particularly appreciated what divine teaching had done for them. As young men a generation ago, they were trying to kill one another during World War II. But during the Kiev convention, they were united in true worship, as seen on page 7.

A visitor to the convention in Kiev exclaimed: “You are really united. What a difference with the way things are outside the stadium walls!”

In Kiev, where over 64,000 were present, six pools were set up for the baptism at one end of the stadium. With six or more baptizers in each pool, the equivalent of a good-sized congregation was immersed every two minutes. Still, the baptism continued for over two hours! At the 1958 “Divine Will” International Assembly in New York, 7,136 were baptized. But in Kiev, the 7,402 newly ordained Witnesses of Jehovah from Ukraine and other former republics of the Soviet Union made this the largest Christian baptism on record. These were Russian-speaking persons from territories where until just recently Jehovah’s Witnesses were banned, and had been for decades!

Citizens of both Moscow and Kiev were indeed impressed by the thousands of badge-wearing delegates excitedly greeting, hugging, and trying to communicate with one another. A businessman from Iran who was visiting Kiev approached a Witness from the United States and said: “You have something wonderful. I have been observing you people the last couple of days. I want some of your literature in English to read.” He explained that if he did not have to leave the following morning for Iran, he would come to the convention.

Throughout Moscow and Kiev​—especially on the streets, in the squares, and on subway cars—​convention delegates approached the people to offer Bible tracts and brochures. Every evening Witnesses could be seen standing near Lenin’s Tomb in Red Square quietly conversing and distributing tracts. The offer was usually readily accepted, often with a warm smile. If the offer was made on a subway car, the person would generally begin reading immediately. It was not unusual to see five or six people in a car reading Bible tracts.

After reading the message, a subway passenger would often express appreciation. “We have not had opportunity to learn of such things,” explained a middle-aged man in broken English. “Thank you very much.” In another instance, a young man and his mother were so impressed with the message that they got off the subway car at the stop of the convention delegate to continue the conversation.

Kiev was filled with over 50,000 Witness delegates who had come from over 30 countries, all of whom required accommodations. Most stayed in hotels, private homes, and schools, but about 1,800 were accommodated on six boats. A housekeeper on one of the boats left a note for the Witnesses. She said: “It seems to me that you have come from another planet. You have so much beauty and harmony that you bring a blessing. It could be you are the children of God. I think about this all the time.”

How appropriate that Jehovah’s Witnesses were able to hold their large conventions and that officials and the people alike could see such fine Christian qualities and conduct that glorify God! Local officials who worked with the Witnesses had nothing but praise for their efficiency, courtesy, and fine cooperation with stadium management and other city departments.

“The stadium has not been cleaned this well for 13 years,” said an official in Kiev. A policeman there exclaimed: “What people! It’s like being in a new world. I simply cannot understand why you people were persecuted.”

Convention Highlights

For the Witnesses in Moscow and Kiev, the main highlight was perhaps the presence of thousands of delegates from many other lands, including members of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The joy of just being together, united in peaceful worship with so many diverse nationalities, was beyond description. When the concluding speaker at Moscow and at Kiev said that our chief thanks go to Jehovah God, who made the convention possible, the audience rose to its feet and erupted in sustained applause for several minutes until the speaker continued his talk.

Other convention highlights were the talks given each day in English by members of the Governing Body and the brief reports delivered by delegates from various lands. These English presentations were simultaneously translated into many languages. In Kiev, for example, into 16! So by sitting in those sections designated for a particular language group, delegates could hear that part of the program in their own language.

Still another convention highlight was the release in Russian and Ukrainian of the new brochure What Is the Purpose of Life? Especially appreciated was the release in Russian of the Theocratic Ministry School Guidebook, which is used to equip Jehovah’s Witnesses to present Bible truths more effectively. Also released in Russian was My Book of Bible Stories, a concise, chronological presentation of Bible history written especially for young people. Already over 36 million copies of this book have been printed in more than 80 languages.

The huge baptism of new disciples was truly a convention highlight. The fact that many of those baptized were youths did not go unnoticed. At a press conference in Kiev, a correspondent from the newspaper Osvita asked: “Noticeable at your convention is the considerable number of young people. They are kind, good-looking, and well behaved. How do you do it? Do you have a special policy for young people? I work with youths, and I would be most interested in knowing.”

Ukraine (2 conventions) 69,333 7,797