MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – A post on the Redemption Church Facebook page says a church team that went to Israel has returned home safely.
Here is the post:
Redemption Church
Our Israel team has safely arrived home! Thank you for covering them in prayer!
Earlier story:
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – What began as a long‑anticipated biblical tour quickly turned into a test of faith for a local church group from Mobile traveling in Israel.
Thirty‑one members of Redemption Church left Mobile last Saturday. Senior Pastor Dr. Ed Litton, who has led this annual trip for years, says the group had just started visiting biblical sites when everything changed.
Within ten minutes of leaving their hotel in Jerusalem, the sounds of sightseeing buses and city traffic were drowned out by blaring sirens and emergency alarms. Tourist sites began shutting down around them as news spread of missile attacks.
At Mount Carmel—one of the group’s first major stops—the danger grew even more real. As explosions echoed in the distance, the 31 travelers rushed into a small church for shelter. There, surrounded by stone walls and uncertainty, they did the only thing they knew to do: they prayed.
The journey home to Mobile took an unexpected detour: instead of flying directly back to the U.S., the group flew to Egypt.
Tonight, they are out of harm’s way, touring the pyramids and taking in a very different kind of history than they originally planned. If all goes as scheduled, they will board a flight Friday evening and return home to Mobile—back to the church family that has been praying them through every step of this ordeal.
Redemption Church Student Pastor Russ Taylor has been in contact with his friends overseas.
“There were a couple days where they knew they were pretty safe,” Taylor explained, “but they didn’t know what their next moves were going to be.”
That uncertainty, he says, has done something in the hearts of those waiting at home.
“It’s been a really good reminder for us back home,” Taylor shared. “It allows you to look back and say—even when we don’t see anything God does—it’s deepened their faith.”
FOX10 News will continue to follow their journey and will update you when they land safely back in Mobile.
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