40 South Carolina church members return to US after being stranded in Israel

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SUMMERVILLE, S.C. – Dozens of members of a South Carolina church are lastly again in america after Operation Epic Fury left them stranded in Israel for almost per week after their flight was alleged to depart.

Forty members of Calvary Chapel Summerville landed in Israel on Feb. 20 for eight days of exploration within the Holy Land.

The group was set to fly house on Feb. 28 and had arrived on the airport three hours earlier than their scheduled departure when the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran. The assault prompted the closure of Israel's airspace and the group needed to evacuate the airport.

"It felt like the burden of the world on my shoulders and I simply prayed and prayed and prayed and requested God to offer me knowledge," mentioned Vic Carroll, pastor at Calvary Chapel Summerville in South Carolina.

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<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/672/378/calvary-chapel-members-visitng-the-treasury-in-petra.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/1344/756/calvary-chapel-members-visitng-the-treasury-in-petra.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/931/523/calvary-chapel-members-visitng-the-treasury-in-petra.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/1862/1046/calvary-chapel-members-visitng-the-treasury-in-petra.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"> Members of Calvary Chapel Summerville go to Al-Khazneh in Petra. (Melanie Carroll)

Carroll mentioned the group needed to shelter-in-place in Israel, going out and in of bomb shelters for a number of days. He then needed to face the choice of the group staying or taking a bus to Jordan to have a shot at getting a flight again to america.

"We in the end, you recognize, made the choice between what was dangerous and what was worse. I assumed the worst could be to remain," the pastor mentioned.

"We had been instructed that if a siren goes off whereas we had been on the street, the bus would pull over, we'd all have to get on the bottom, lay on the bottom face-down for at the least 10 minutes till the risk was gone, after which be on our manner," he continued.

The members of Calvary Chapel Summerville sightseeing within the Holy Land. (Melanie Carroll)

Fortuitously, that didn't occur and the group made it to the airport in Jordan to hop on a flight out of the Middle East Thursday morning.

Earlier than the flight, Carroll mentioned it was scary, however their religion was larger than their concern.

"We're simply having to belief that we're making the suitable determination, and that is our solely choice to get house, so we [were] simply trusting in God," he mentioned.

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The group returned to the U.S. on Thursday night time, touchdown at JFK in New York.

Melanie Carroll, the pastor's spouse, texted, "We're so grateful!!!!! It is surreal!!"

<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/672/378/melanie-and-vic-carroll-while-visiting-the-holy-land.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/1344/756/melanie-and-vic-carroll-while-visiting-the-holy-land.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/931/523/melanie-and-vic-carroll-while-visiting-the-holy-land.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/03/1862/1046/melanie-and-vic-carroll-while-visiting-the-holy-land.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"> Melanie and Vic Carroll whereas visiting The Holy Land. (Kailey Schuyler)

The sudden extension of the journey brought on the value tag to extend considerably. Melanie created a GoFundMe, writing, "The trail to get us house between lodging, flights and transfers will probably be upwards of $2500 per particular person."

The group was in a position to increase their purpose of $100,000 in lower than three days.

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Melanie mentioned the group is constant to hope for everybody attempting to get out of the Center East.

Almost 24,000 Individuals have returned to the U.S. after fleeing the Center East since Operation Epic Fury started final week, in response to the State Department .