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Thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses from as far away as Africa descended upon SaskTel Centre for a three-day convention over the weekend.
While the regional convention gathers Jehovah’s Witnesses from all over Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba, some traveled much further to find like-minded company.
Tyson and Tania Hyatt spent much of their lives in Calgary before moving to Zambia.
But even the prospect of 14,000 kilometres between the African country and Saskatoon didn’t prevent them from missing this year’s convention.
“We’re here to enjoy the wonderful convention that we have here today. We’re also taking this time to see family and friends, as well,” Tania Hyatt said, pointing to Tyson’s grandparents that live in Lloydminster.
The Hyatt’s don’t often return home from Zambia, so it’s been a long time since they’ve seen Saskatoon. But thankfully for Tyson, not much has changed.
“When they said it was happening in Saskatoon, it’s been years — I think it’s been 20 years since we were here in this stadium, but we always like it. It’s so easy to get around, to find a place to stay, places to eat. We really like it here in Saskatchewan,” Tyson Hyatt said.
Being back and surrounding himself with other Jehovah’s Witnesses was a humbling experience to Tyson.
“Jehovah’s Witnesses are everywhere, but to see what they’re dealing with in other places, it’s the same as we deal with here. It’s heartwarming to see that,” he said.
While many of the more than 5,000 people attending the conference were from Saskatchewan or southern Alberta, some worked the convention into their summer vacation plans.
That’s what Ryan and Kristy Schaere were doing with their family they traveled with from Flin Flon, Man.
The pair have been coming to the convention each year since they were born, 41 and 39 years, respectively.
“It’s an opportunity for us to get together with other ones of our faith. This is our yearly trip we look forward to. We get geared up for it months in advance so we can enjoy it as much as we can,” Ryan Schaere said.
The convention is part of a global series of regional conventions taking place over the summer.
Statistics provided by Jehovah’s Witness state there were more than 8.5-million members worldwide in 2018.
For Kristy Schaere, being able to make a trip to a local convention and share her experiences with close and extended family is what makes her summer.
“There’s no other place in the world I feel like I can do this,” Kristy Scheare said of her experiences at the convention. “It seems like in the world today, were are more disconnected than ever, even though we are connected by technology. To be able to be reminded, and have a hands-on experience of love, it trickles down into our everyday life.”
