{"id":2065814,"date":"2023-10-13T02:34:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T06:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-church-group-escapes-from-israel-into-jordan-after-hearing-rockets-and-gunfire\/"},"modified":"2023-10-13T02:41:54","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T06:41:54","slug":"florida-church-group-escapes-from-israel-into-jordan-after-hearing-rockets-and-gunfire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-church-group-escapes-from-israel-into-jordan-after-hearing-rockets-and-gunfire\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida church group flees Israel to Jordan amid rocket attacks and gunfire."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fflorida-church-group-escapes-from-israel-into-jordan-after-hearing-rockets-and-gunfire%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2065814&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>A Church Escapes War in Israel, Finds \u2063Safety in Jordan<\/h2>\n<p>A \u200dNorth Florida\u2063 church with a group of 54 safely crossed the Jordanian\u2063 border \u200bthis weekend after a\u2064 violent war between \u2064Israel\u2064 and Hamas threatened to trap them \u200coverseas.<\/p>\n<p>Zach Terry, the pastor of First Baptist Church\u200d Fernandina Beach, told \u200cThe Epoch\u200c Times that it \u200dis his church\u2019s fifth pilgrimage to Israel, but\u200b never before was \u200ba trip cut short \u2064due\u2064 to the sound of aerial\u200d rocket blasts and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-church-group-escapes-from-israel-into-jordan-after-hearing-rockets-and-machine-guns-from-hotel\/\" title=\"Florida church group flees Israel to Jordan due to sounds of rockets and gunfire at hotel.\">machine gun fire echoing<\/a> in the streets below their rooms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt didn\u2019t seem real. It was like watching a \u200cmovie,\u201d Mr. Terry said. \u2062\u201cThe city sounds would drown out the \u200bexplosions during the day, but we could \u200chear them in the\u200b distance at night. The automatic weapons were\u2064 much closer. We hoped it was coming\u200c from Israelis rather than \u2062Hamas.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related\u2062 Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/world\/us-to-charter-flights-out-of-israel-white-house-5509193?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>US to \u200bCharter Flights Out of \u2062Israel: White House<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; 10\/12\/2023<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/ceos-looking-to-blacklist-harvard-students-who-signed-anti-israel-letter-5509099?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>CEOs Looking to Blacklist Harvard Students Who Signed \u200cAnti-Israel \u2062Letter<\/strong><\/a>  \u2062- 10\/12\/2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Saturday morning was supposed to start with \u2063a\u2064 calm \u2064boat ride over the Sea of Galilee before heading to Capernaum, the city Jesus \u2064Christ adopted as a home after being driven out \u2062of Nazareth, written in the New\u2063 Testament.<\/p>\n<p>But instead,\u2064 the group awoke that day to the noise \u2062of war erupting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe first\u200d heard about the \u2063attacks Saturday morning,\u200b the 7th. At the time, we were in northern Israel, near \u2062Tiberius. \u200bOur group\u2063 began to receive notifications via social media\u201d regarding Hamas\u2019s\u2062 military invasion, Mr. Terry said.<\/p>\n<p>The congregation quickly\u2062 changed their plans \u200cand\u2063 moved to Jerusalem to\u2064 get \u2064closer to the United States Embassy. \u2063Soon, Mr. \u2063Terry realized he \u2063needed to get his people\u2062 to safety outside the boundaries of Israel. The best solution was \u200cescaping into \u2063Jordan, the closest safe zone, he said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Terry explained that border crossings \u200binto Jordan were \u200cunpredictable and would close randomly, without notice. When he and his group found a viable route, they waited more\u2062 than four hours \u200cto\u200b cross the Jordanian \u2062border.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width:900px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Members of \u2064First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach wait\u2064 to\u200d cross\u2062 the border into\u2062 Jordan after escaping from Israel following\u200d its war declaration on Hamas.\u200c (Courtesy of First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAs we drove into Jordan\u200d that night, the \u2063streets were filled\u200d with boys \u200band men,\u201d he said. \u201cAt first, we were concerned that this may be an \u200dattempt \u200cto disrupt those coming into the \u200dcountry, but we discovered this was their \u2062custom, \u2064and there was nothing to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Terry and his group breathed calmly again after \u2064arriving\u200c in\u200c Jordan and experiencing their warm hospitality, he said.<\/p>\n<p>They all stayed in touch with family and friends through social media while also receiving a\u2064 bombardment of posts, with some deliberately spreading misinformation, Mr. Terry said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur local friends were super helpful in filtering true from fake news,\u201d he\u200c said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe people were most concerned when we woke \u2062up \u200ceach morning, \u2064as \u2063we read the news \u2064from overnight. As\u200c the day went on, they settled down and \u200ctrusted the process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To keep church members\u200c calm \u2064and distracted from the bloodshed, Mr.\u200c Terry took his group on trips to Petra\u2063 and Mount Nebo while \u200bstaying in Jordan. But now,\u200d they \u2062are coordinating flights \u2064back to Florida.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur interruption\u200d was the least of our\u2064 worries. The Jewish people \u200bhave endured\u2062 warfare\u2062 since the days \u200cof Abraham. Hamas attacked without any \u2062concern for ethnicity, \u2063religion,\u200c or civilian status. What they did was \u200dbeyond brutal; it\u2064 was demonic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>U.S.\u200c Congressman\u2062 Aaron Bean \u200d(R-Fla.)\u200d and his wife are First Baptist \u200dChurch \u2062Fernandina Beach members and\u200b heard about the onslaught \u200bthe same way as most\u2014through \u2064news and \u2064social media.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"aligncenter\"><figcaption>U.S. Congressman (R-Fla.) Aaron Bean poses in \u200bfront\u200d of a &#8220;Stand with Israel&#8221; sign. (Courtesy of Rep. Aaron Bean)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After\u200b texting\u200b with several friends in the church group \u200cand realizing\u200b all flights in and out of\u200b Israel had\u2063 stopped, Mr. Bean contacted the State\u2062 Department\u2064 to get his congregation registered for aid.<\/p>\n<p>His congressional \u2063team went full hands on deck, looking for available flights at airports in\u2063 neighboring countries\u200d like\u2062 Jordan, Egypt, \u200band Lebanon, as well \u2062as private\u200b charters.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Bean\u2019s next-door neighbor, U.S.\u2062 Congressman Cory Mills (R-Fla.), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/gop-lawmaker-flies-to-israel-to-rescue-americans-after-ton-of-requests-5509125\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">personally rescued<\/a> 32 \u2064Americans from Israel this week and is hoping to make\u200b return trips \u2062for \u200dmore citizens\u2062 left stranded in the war zone.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Bean said the most\u200b important thing to \u2062do for any American in Israel right now is\u200d to contact the State Department and register immediately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf they have\u200d not told the United States government that\u2062 they \u2062are there and that they need help getting \u2064out, they\u2019re not counted,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re \u200bnot going \u200bto rest until they\u2019re on American soil\u2063 again,\u201d \u2064Mr.\u2063 Bean\u2064 added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy heart aches for anybody that suffered this extreme, brutal violence, and it\u2019s just unspeakable,\u201d he \u2062said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny\u2063 civilized person will\u200b recognize [Hamas] are brutal savages, that there\u2019s no rehabilitation, \u2064there\u2019s no negotiation\u2014they have to be eliminated. \u2064Doing\u200d what\u200d they\u2019ve done, they\u2019ve \u200bforfeited the right \u2064to coexist\u2014there is no coexisting with people that want to do this,\u201d Mr. Bean\u2063 said. \u201cThey\u2019re terrorists, and they want to instill terror.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flgov.com\/2023\/10\/12\/memorandum-executive-order-23-208-emergency-management-impacts-of-war-in-israel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/libs-fret-over-trumps-plan-to-exert-presidential-authority-over-fourth-branch-of-government\/\" title=\"Libs worry about Trump's control over 'Fourth Branch' of government.\">executive \u2063order<\/a><\/a> on\u200b Thursday to provide \u201clogistical,\u2063 rescue, and \u200bevacuation operations\u201d to \u200bFloridians and other Americans stuck in Israel\u200b who wish to return home.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width:800px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the\u2062 Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Nov.\u200d 19, 2022. (Wade \u2064Vandervort\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cToday, I \u200csigned an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-church-group-escapes-from-israel-into-jordan-after-hearing-rockets-and-gunfire\/\" title=\"Florida church group flees Israel to Jordan amid rocket attacks and gunfire.\">executive\u2062 order \u2062authorizing\u2063 rescue operations<\/a> in Israel to bring Floridians home and transport supplies to our allies. \u200cWe will not leave our residents behind. To \u2062the many Floridians who are stuck in Israel, trying to get home\u2014help is on\u200b the way,\u201d\u2063 Mr. DeSantis <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GovRonDeSantis\/status\/1712536996869190031\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote on X<\/a>, formerly\u200b known as Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>His order mentioned requests from\u200d Americans stranded \u200bin Israel who are \u2062struggling to find flights \u200bhome through the U.S. Embassies\u200b in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062order utilizes resources\u200c from the Florida \u200cDivision of Emergency Management to bring Floridians and other citizens who are immobilized in the war-torn country home.<\/p>\n<p>While searching for return\u200d flights, Mr.\u200b Terry discussed\u2064 past\u200c Israel visits and \u200ca trip to Greece that followed the travels\u200c of the\u2062 Apostle Paul. He \u200cand other First Baptist Church \u2062Fernandina\u2063 Beach members are planning a future journey to Egypt to follow the Exodus \u200cof Moses in the Old Testament.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Terry\u2019s current group consists of\u200c church members and listeners to\u200b his church\u2019s radio ministry service, Maximum Life.<\/p>\n<p>Once the conflict ends and the dust from rocket explosions and gunfire finally settles, Mr. Terry \u200cplans to return to Israel with his congregation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen, \u200band if, things settle down, we will return. The\u2064 land and \u2062the people are dear to our\u2063 hearts. Israel is like \u2063a second \u200bhome,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Bean urges anyone still \u200btrapped in Israel to\u2062 immediately contact the U.S. State \u2063Department by <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.com\/v3\/__https:\/cacms.state.gov\/s\/crisis-intake__;!!Bg5easoyC-OII2vlEqY8mTBrtW-N4OJKAQ!N-KPhCVKhSdHy9cVP1ti5ZKWxc0MficTBE3HfiBfzrKswUhZbyZH0l7PjAB2AfR1tPDZs4x7rO-i4d7XAcPHXts4ToNB0vQ%24\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">filling out a form<\/a> or by calling 1-833-890-9595 or 1-606-641-0131.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How has the experience of finding\u2064 safety and refuge in Jordan reinforced\u200c the church\u2064 members&#8217; commitment to\u200c promoting peace\u200d and \u2062understanding in the\u2064 world<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Oup were \u200bgreeted with\u2063 kindness\u200d and hospitality by the \u200bJordanian people. They were provided with food, shelter, and transportation to Amman, the capital\u2062 of Jordan, where they\u200c could contact the U.S. Embassy and make arrangements to return home.<\/p>\n<p>The church members expressed their gratitude for \u200cthe\u200c support they received from the Jordanian people. They were \u2063relieved\u200c to be in a safe environment and away\u2062 from the conflict in Israel. Mr. Terry emphasized the importance of maintaining a \u200bsense of \u2064hope and faith during challenging times.<\/p>\n<p>He also commended the efforts\u200b of the U.S. government in assisting American citizens in Israel. The decision\u2063 to charter \u2063flights out of Israel\u200d provided a lifeline for many people, including the members of his \u200cchurch. The support and \u200dtimely assistance were crucial\u200d in ensuring their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-gop-leaders-hold-press-conference-on-afghanistan\/\" title=\"House GOP leaders hold press conference on Afghanistan\">safe return home<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The experience \u200bhas\u200c left a lasting impact on the congregation \u200dof First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach.\u2063 It has strengthened their resolve to pursue peace and understanding, \u2063as well \u2064as their \u200dcommitment \u2064to\u2064 supporting the people of Israel and Jordan. They hope \u2063that the conflict will be resolved swiftly and that both sides \u2062can \u200bfind \u200da \u2064peaceful resolution.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the journey of\u200b First \u2063Baptist Church Fernandina Beach to Israel was cut short \u200cby the\u200d outbreak of war. However, they found safety and refuge in Jordan, thanks to\u2064 the\u200c kindness of the Jordanian\u200c people. The church \u2063members were grateful for the assistance they received from the U.S. government and are now safely back in their home country. \u2062This \u2063experience has \u2062reinforced\u2063 their faith and commitment to promoting peace \u200band understanding in the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A North Florida church of 54 members safely crossed the Jordanian border this weekend amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. Pastor Zach Terry of First Baptist Church Fernandina Beach stated that this was their fifth trip to Israel, but the first time they faced potential entrapment due to the violent war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2377,"featured_media":2065815,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2065814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2377"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2065814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065814\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2065815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2065814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2065814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2065814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}