COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Yesterday, WRBL introduced Columbus woman, Sue Lacy, who found herself on the banks of the Sea of Galilee in Israel when Israeli and U.S. forces attacked Iran.
Sue was among a delegation of 115 women who had traveled to the Holy Land and suddenly found themselves stranded when the missiles started firing. Now, we bring the story of how they got back home.
Nothing will test your faith any more than suddenly being thrust into a war zone. That was the fate of Sue Lacy and over 100 women with the Eagles’ Wings delegation who were on day three of a ten-day tour of Israel when the war with Iran started.
The heavens above their hotel in Capernaum were lit up with fireworks as sirens wailed and explosions echoed through the hillside.
RELATED: Columbus Woman Safely Home from Israel
Lacy said, “We were told that the airport had closed. Some of the young ones on our trip came up to me and said, Mrs. Sue, why haven’t they taken us to the airport already? This is what we were told…the least safe place in Israel for us, anybody to be is the Tel Aviv airport. So they said, honestly, we were at the safest place.”
Their Harp of David Hotel became their refuge, with the basement serving as their bomb shelter.
“We were in a cocoon right where we were, and we felt safe. We had no idea how long we would be there. It turned out that we would be there another solid three days,” Lacy said.
Those next three days became blessed times of bonding. Lacy said, “We spent so much time in prayer and worship and just singing and being together and just enjoying one another, getting to know one another.”
One specific prayer was for those in charge of their ladies’ group.
Lacy said they prayed for their team leaders. “We asked God to give them wisdom to understand things going on around us so that we would know when we were safe to leave,” she said.
That day finally arrived. They were informed that the plan was to take them by bus to Cairo, Egypt.
Their exodus out of Israel took them from the Sea of Galilee down to the Jordan River where they saw where Jesus was baptized. They went all the way down to the Dead Sea on what was called the King’s Highway. Some four hundred miles and two days later, their three-bus caravan arrived in Cairo.
That night Eagles’ Wings had a river cruise planned for them on the Nile River. Lacy recalls an Egyptian man who was singing karaoke suddenly started belting out the popular Frank Sinatra hit, “New York, New York.” When he got to “start spreading the news, I’m leaving tonight,” Lacy said their group was screaming and hollering and clapping because they were leaving that night headed for New York!
Lacy made it back home late on March 4, 2026. After having some time to reflect on what had just happened, she shared from her heart.
“We just felt like we were so honored. We were overwhelmed and overcome. We still are. And you know, I don’t ever want to forget what God allowed me to be a part of. It was humbling, exciting, awakening, and empowering. It was amazing,” Lacy said.
If you missed the first story on Lacy’s trip to Israel, you can read Columbus Woman Safely Home from Israel.
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