According to reports, dozens of Christians from the United States who were in Israel during October 7th’s shocking and deadly terror assaults had returned home safely by Wednesday morning.
At least 1,200 Israelis, including women and children, were murdered in a multi-pronged attack by the terrorist group Hamas along the country’s boundary with Gaza.
Reports show several dozen Americans had been found dead, with many more still missing.
On Tuesday, all 48 members of Sunnyside Baptist Church in Kingsport, Tennessee, arrived safely in Atlanta and boarded buses for the trip home.
A local report shows the group had gone to Israel to explore holy sites when they were caught off guard by an assault by Hamas militants near Gaza. They were on a tour on Saturday and claimed to have heard bombs throughout the day.
After that, they spent their time at a hotel before catching their flight home to the US. They arrived in Atlanta Tuesday evening and took a bus to Kingsport. They arrived on Wednesday at approximately 2 o’clock in the morning.
According to a local media outlet, Tammy Rogers, director of child services at Sunnyside, accompanied the group. She said that on the bus ride home, she saw that everyone seemed relieved.
Associate Pastor David Luster of Sunnyside Church expressed happiness upon hearing that everyone was safe and well.
Jeff Dill, a longtime churchgoer, credited the group’s safe return to God and described a sense of calm among the members despite being in a region of warfare.
The Lord provided for us, Dill said. Our family prayed about it. Something simply clicked in my head, and I felt like the rest of the group felt the same way.
According to a report, church members of all ages, from teenagers to retirees, were in Israel that weekend.
