When the first of the international conventions opened in San Diego, California, on May 22, the conventioners were pleased to have in their midst 45 missionaries from 14 countries. Two weeks later, Spanish-speaking Witnesses met in the same stadium. Of the 25,181 at this convention, well over 3,100 were delegates from abroad. As speakers from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and Uruguay shared in the program, the audience had to adjust to the distinctive accents. What a happy and enthusiastic audience they were!

The following week, in Pontiac, Michigan, the size of the convention audience increased to 42,763, and the number of countries represented mushroomed to at least 44. Delegations of more than 300 each were on hand from Britain, the Czech Republic, and South Africa. The conventioners had come from 14 countries in Europe, 8 in Africa, 20 in the Americas, and 2 in Asia. In some instances whole families, even entire congregations, assisted with expenses so that at least one from their midst could attend. The presence of so many delegates from other lands seemed to electrify the audience.

The attendance reached 33,242, with 4,071 delegates from other lands. Large numbers had come from France and Brazil; many from Belgium, Guadeloupe, and Martinique. Thirteen African countries were represented. Among the delegates was a longtime pioneer from Mali, West Africa, who was there because of the kindness of a businesswoman to whom she regularly delivers magazines. Said a Brazilian couple who had sold their car to finance their trip: “It was the best investment we ever made.”

The next two weekends in June, two more conventions were held in Vancouver, on Canada’s west coast. Combined attendance was 22,273, with numerous delegates from places as far apart as Southeast Asia and Northern Europe. Simultaneously with the last convention in Vancouver, another was being held in Toronto, Ontario. Besides the Canadians, delegates had come from Germany, Poland, Finland, Austria, and many more lands in Europe and Africa. The attendance reached 41,381. All together, at the Canadian conventions, delegates were on hand from 52 foreign lands—truly an international throng!

Large delegations from the Orient and Italy enjoyed fellowship with those who had come from the Americas, Eastern Europe, and Africa. Among them were some who had put forth extraordinary effort to be present. Between sessions, delegates in their native garb moved about from one language group to another, shaking hands, hugging one another, exchanging addresses, and taking pictures.

The attendance of 34,257 included 2,820 delegates from 14 foreign lands, who were accommodated in 1,217 homes where local Witnesses hospitably opened their hearts to these visitors.

One of the most profound impressions on the delegates was the warm reception they received—the brotherly love showered on them by fellow Christians whom they had never met before. They had read about the international brotherhood. They knew that Jehovah teaches his people to show such love. (Heb. 13:1, 2; 3 John 5-8) But now they were personally experiencing it in ways that they never had before. At the airports, delegates were given an enthusiastic welcome by brothers and sisters, young and elderly. Arrangements had also been made for delegates from other lands to be housed with Witness hosts. What a blessing this proved to be!

In Texas, hundreds of busloads of delegates from abroad were taken to the Rosenberg Assembly Hall to meet their hosts. There, a throng of some 500 Witnesses cheered and applauded as the delegates arrived. At Belleville, Michigan, at all hours of the day and night, hundreds of Witnesses were on hand to welcome busloads of weary delegates. As the delegates entered the Assembly Hall, they were welcomed by many voices singing “Myriads of Brothers” and “We Are Jehovah’s Witnesses!” At the Mira Loma Assembly Hall in California, many were bilingual, so in English and Spanish, they sang alternate verses of “We Thank You, Jehovah.” It was a beautiful sight, and it was hard to find dry faces because of the tears of joy!

In Michigan, twice as many accommodations were offered by the Witnesses as were needed. Many phoned to beg for the privilege of caring for some of the visiting brothers. Those who were not able to house delegates helped with food and transportation. Some delegates found that besides welcoming them into their homes, their hosts were giving them their own beds while the hosts slept on the floor. In the evenings and after the conventions, groups of Witness families, even whole congregations, got together for a meal or a picnic with the delegates. They sang, took part in folk dances, and related experiences. It was truly a fiesta! Though many delegates could not speak the language of the host family—or could speak only a few words at most—they found ways to communicate. When it came time for them to part, it was more than difference of language that made communication difficult. They were choked with emotion. A foundation had been laid for lifelong friendships.

The visiting delegates were not the only ones who benefited from the homestay arrangement. A couple in Canada who opened their home to delegates wrote: “We all wondered what it would be like to have people that we didn’t know stay with us for a whole week. We found out that it wasn’t long enough!” A single parent wrote: “I had the grand privilege of hosting a couple from France, and for my children and myself, it was most enriching. I can only say that it was a wonderful, delightful, and unforgettable experience.” Another family, who had a guest from Togo, wrote: “We cannot describe the joy and the love that we shared . . . What a treasure! Jehovah gave us all we could wish for.”

For delegates from 87 countries, their tour routes also took them to the world headquarters of Jehovah’s visible organization, with major sections of its operations in New York State at Brooklyn, at Wallkill (90 miles [144 km] from Brooklyn), and at Patterson (70 miles [112 km] from Brooklyn). From May 28 through July 20, they came—more than 14,500 in all! It was, as so many said, “a dream come true.” Expressing how they felt, a tour group visiting the Watchtower Educational Center at Patterson arranged themselves in the dining room after the noon meal and sang in beautiful four-part harmony song number 42, “This Is the Way.” Deeply moved by what they saw and by the love and hospitality they experienced, many had tears in their eyes as they thanked the brothers and sisters who served as guides. It was not only the visitors whose emotions were stirred. Members of the Bethel family too said that those are days they would never forget!

The crowds that attended the international conventions in Europe shared similar feelings. During July, delegates began to arrive in Britain. From July 24 to 26, conventions there were held simultaneously in nine cities. Whether in English, French, Spanish, or Punjabi, they all had the same program. For talks given by members of the Governing Body, the convention sites were tied together electronically. Delegates from more than 60 lands had flocked together.