NAMPA, Idaho — A Nampa pastor is back home safe after being caught in a Middle East war zone following the United States and Israel's strikes on Iran.
Pastor of Crossroads Church in Nampa, Barry McGarrah, was traveling with a men's group in the Gulf region when the fighting broke out.
McGarrah woke up just after 9 A.M. Saturday in Akaba, Jordan, to the sound of sirens ringing in Israel. Not knowing what was happening, he became concerned that an attack was imminent.
WATCH: See how the local pastor made it out of the war zone
“We didn’t know what it meant ... we looked up, and we’re like, okay, are they getting missiles shot at them?” said McGarrah.
The pastor and his group said they were aware of the risks of traveling to the region.
"Before we left on the trip, we knew that Trump had kind of told Iran like 10 to 15 days," McGarrah said.
RELATED | Senate rejects effort to limit Trump's military operations on Iran
All air travel in the region came to an immediate standstill, and the group's flights were canceled, trapping the twenty-plus Idahoans thousands of miles away from home.
The faith leader recalls by a miracle the group rebooking tickets on March 1st, traveling from Amman, Jordan to Istanbul, Turkey, and landing in Seattle on March 2nd.
The group's travel agent, touting that a higher power may have been in play, said McGarrah. “There are still thousands of people over there stuck and can’t get home. The fact that your guys were able to get out is truly miraculous,” McGarrah said.
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