PHOENIX — An Arizona church group made it out of Israel after the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran over the weekend, describing a faith-based experience that turned into an evacuation.
Pastors Patrick Marks and Steven Long recorded a Facebook video from Tiberias, in the lower Galilee region, shortly after President Trump announced the joint strikes on Iran.
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"Here on the ground in Israel, there are a few booms up in the sky occasionally," Marks said in the video, with the Sea of Galilee behind them.
The two pastors, along with 22 others from Surprise-based Calvary Chapel FourteenSix, were on a faith trip when their itinerary suddenly changed.
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"For us, it's very special to go to the place where we know that Jesus lived and where he died and rose again," Long said. "Then you juxtapose that against this backdrop of, oh my goodness, now there's all this unrest going on and bombs and missiles are flying overhead. And it's just a really weird emotional dichotomy."
During the trip, they heard sirens to shelter, adding that the booms came in waves, day and night.
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"It was quite loud when the Iron Dome started intercepting the incoming missiles from Iran. It was right above our heads. It was very loud," Marks said.
Both pastors say they never panicked, but they aren't leaving without a message.
"I would just say pray for the peace of Israel, pray for the peace of Iran, pray for our troops, everybody that's involved. Like we said earlier, we don't want anybody to suffer," Long said.
The group is out of the war zone and expected back in the U.S. within days.
Another Arizona church also has members in the region. Calvary Chapel Snowflake says their group is being taken care of and are safe. They continue to ask for prayers as they work to bring them home. A spokesperson for U.S. Representative Eli Crane said he and members of his staff have been in contact with family members of that group since Saturday and “are doing everything possible to help."
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