More local church group members make it back safe to US

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - This weekend, thousands of Americans were racing to get out of Israel to avoid becoming victims of a devastating war. 

In a series of special reports, we have been telling you about a local group stuck in that conflict. 

Linda Larsen was able to welcome some of them home this weekend when they arrived at the Salt Lake Airport.

After more than a week of terror and uncertainty, we are happy to some members of a local church group from Pocatello who were stranded in Israel is home and safe back into the arms of their loved ones.

"Something I don't want to go through again, and I don't think anybody wants to go through again," Heidi Jacoby said. "You don't realize until, you know when we were over, there just how lucky we are over here in the states. And to know that they go through that every day.""It's good to experience what other people are experiencing every day to make us appreciate what we have," Jenna Jacoby said.

Heidi, her mom and her son were part of the group of catholic religious pilgrims who had been on their dream trip to visit the Holy Land. On the first few days of their journey, they experienced the beauty of the land of their savior.

"That's the cross, Jesus got crucified on the cross, and that's the pedestal where he was placed on," Talon Cook said showing us some pictures he took.

But what was supposed to be a week of sightseeing and spiritual enlightenment turned into sheer terror as the sound of laughter was replaced by the sound of bombs.

"When we first got into the hotel, they told us not to worry that we were going to be okay. That they were going to take care of us, and to only worry if we heard the sirens. and that night we all woke up to the sirens and five bombs going off about nine miles from the hotel and enough to where it shook the hotel and kind of we all walked outside and all night and that's when it was, that's when it became real for us to see the panic on the staff's face," Heidi said.

This took video from their bus as the bombs hit around them.

"We're taking video you can see buildings on fire in the remnants of where the bombs would fit when we came back from Jericho one afternoon," she said.

Not knowing what their fate would be for almost a week,they say their faith kept them strong.

"It was it was a huge part of us getting here today," Heidi said. "Because if it wasn't for our faith and the love and the support that we had from the hotel staff where we were all staying, I don't know if we would have made it back in time. So they were they were our heroes this last week."

"They saved our lives," Talon said. "They helped us from the hotel to get us to our homes back from USA. But they are a lifesaver."

How much do those guys mean to you that took care of them?

"They are heroes. They got us out," Heidi said.

There are still three members of the group who we are not sure if they have been able to make it home yet, and we are continuing to try to get in touch with them.