Pastor, wife were in Israel when war broke out. It took them nearly a week to get home

MARIETTA, Ga. — A well-known Metro Atlanta pastor and his wife are back home safe and sound.

They were caught in Israel after the war with Iran began.

Channel 2’s Candace McCowan is in Marietta where they say they’ve experienced a wave of emotions.

Pastor Bryant Wright said it was a wave of relief once they were able to get their feet back on the ground in Atlanta. He says it was a five-day fight to get back stateside.

“It’s emotional a little bit,” Wright said. It’s a trip he said he won’t forget.

Wright was with a group of pastors and their wives in Israel when Saturday morning the sirens began going off.

Videos show them on one of their 17 trips to the bomb shelter, praying and singing.

“You go about three or four stories below the hotel to the bomb shelter,” Wright said.

Bombs struck the city of Jerusalem, near where they were. When the US and Israel struck Iran, Iran retaliated.

The group, who gave updates through videos on social media, drove to the southern end of Israel, where they had to get off a bus, then walk across the border to Egypt and get on another bus.

“You’re literally walking on blind faith there. You’ve never seen these people, and you’re hoping for the best. When they have an escort with you that gets on the bus with a machine gun you’re just like I hopeful. Thankfully it worked out fine,” Wright said.

They then flew to Cairo, then Turkey before making it home.

“Candace, there really is a peace that surpasses understanding in Christ,” Wright said.

Now back at home, they had a moment to wrap their heads around everything they went through.

“After you get home and start reflecting on things, there really is a lot more emotion even anxiety in thinking about all that,” Wright said.

“That’s something that’s huge boost to your faith when you go through an experience like that. This is Bryant Wright speaking right from the heart,” he said.

Wright said he will be back at his home church, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church. He will be able to thank the many people who have prayed for him over the past several days.

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