“I’ve Never Seen Anything Like This!”

IN 1993 the Watch Tower Society’s office in Argentina was invited to send a thousand delegates to Santiago, Chile, for the four-day “Divine Teaching” District Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This was the first time that Argentine Witnesses had been invited to travel as a large group to a foreign convention.a The response? Over 8,500 applications streamed in, from which 1,039 delegates were chosen.

A total of 14 buses were chartered to make this 870-mile [1,400 km] trip from Buenos Aires to Santiago. The 26-hour journey was enhanced by spectacular scenery. Crossing the Andes Mountains, the delegates passed near Aconcagua, at 22,834 feet [6,960 m] the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere. Especially memorable was the steep, winding descent into Chile. The drivers received a generous round of applause for their skill in handling the challenging terrain!

The most beautiful sight, however, was to be found at the convention itself. In a world of national strife and racial tension, how refreshing it was to see a united throng of 80,000 from 24 countries in attendance​—truly an international brotherhood! Having seen firsthand the unity among the conventioners, some of the bus drivers expressed interest in learning more about Jehovah’s Witnesses. “I’ve never seen anything like this!” one of them exclaimed.

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