JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Eighteen members of a Fernandina Beach church group are back in Jacksonville, and 25 more members are expected to arrive Sunday night after being stuck in Israel amid the violent conflict between Hamas and Israel.
The group with 18 members landed early Sunday at Jacksonville International Airport. They are a part of the 54 members of First Baptist Church of Fernandina that take a trip to the Middle East every year.
Executive Pastor Dan Beck told News4JAX that some of those members who arrived early Sunday made it to church this morning.
News4JAX spoke to some of the group members that arrived early Sunday and said they are just glad to be back.
“As we went through the days, it became a little more grim. We heard the sirens. People said that they heard gunshots. They saw some in the middle of the night. From the top of our hotel, we could hear kind of the percussiveness of the explosions far in the distance though,” said Susan DeVane. “We’re just excited to be home. We are very, very thrilled to be home.”
People in this group told us earlier this week they crossed into Jordan to get away from danger.
They could not fly out of Israel because several major airlines canceled flights into and out of the country.
MORE | ‘Pray for us’: Fernandina Beach church group trapped in Israel amid armed conflicts
Pastor Beck said about 25 more members will be coming in Sunday night on two planes. He said one should be coming from Charlotte and the other from New York.
The last group is expected to arrive Monday.
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