294 baptized in Seattle. Among all the tied in Regional Conventions, there were over 400 (424, if I recall). In Seattle (I was there), mostly kids. There was one presumably paraplegic adult (they baptized him on a stretcher... had one leg amputated), and I believe a blind teenager (or somehow otherwise challenged... couldn't really tell... at first, he was led by two people, but when he got into the pool, he was just acting a little off).
tresdecu, you flew in? Where from (general area)?
Yes, tear jerker resurrection video... even yours truly shed tears. I'm a big sap anyway. I told my wife later that they did NOT need to show that video, that is was completely heartless to do so since so many people have lost loved ones. There was NO NEED for that kind of emotional tugging at the heartstrings. She didn't disagree.
Yes, Lett was just as goofy. The attendance was substantially lower than anticipated. They expected between 36,000 and 44,000. Friday was a little over 31,000. Saturday about the same, and Sunday morning, a little over 32,000. With all the regional tie-ins, the grand total attendance was just over 73,000. You can see from the baptism numbers that it's considerably less than 1%.
Friday morning traffic was a mess. People staying just 20 minutes away had to endure a 2.5 hour backup. Parking was pretty bad. Most people had to park a mile or so away. They hired school buses to shuttle people to and from the parking lot, but there were only 3 or 4 of them. Saturday and Sunday, they had their stuff together, so it went more smoothly.
I'd give you a blow-by-blow, but if you read any of the other convention threads, there's no need. They're all the same. Every talk was scripted. Every brother said the same thing at this convention as at others, practically word for word.
The only brothers who gave talks at the International were either bethelites or COs or DOs. No one below those ranks gave parts. Most days, the morning program went overtime significantly, leaving very little time for lunch. The interviews with the international delegates were long-winded. Most afternoons were overtime, too, but not by too much. It was tolerable.
I wouldn't call it a historic occasion. Aside from having the international delegates there, it was just another convention. Although I would say, this one seemed to hype up all the JW accomplishments more than usual. A huge amount of boasting and self-aggrandizing took place. There was more of that than "do more, do more, do more", I thought.