Tampa-based non-profit rescues more than 100 Americans from Israel, including St. Pete church group

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Heath Panganiban was preparing to baptize his nine-year-old son, Landon, in the Jordan River when they first heard the air raid sirens.

What was meant to be a spiritual pilgrimage for 34 members of GT Church Assembly of God and Suncoast Cathedral quickly turned into a scramble for safety. Over the course of their trip through the Holy Land, the group was forced to seek cover in bomb shelters nearly 20 times.

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What they're saying:

"As a dad, first and foremost, my duty and my heart is to protect my son," Panganiban, who is also the worship pastor at GT Church, said. "We took shelter right away."

"In baptism, you know, you have a whole new idea of faith, of course, but when that happened there at the Jordan, my son really got to see what faith in action looked like," he said. 

The backstory:

As the conflict with Iran intensifies, U.S. officials have issued urgent warnings for Americans to evacuate more than a dozen countries in the Middle East. However, with airspace closing over several nations, finding a flight home has become a nearly impossible task.

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After reaching out to the State Department and elected representatives with little success, the St. Petersburg church group contacted Grey Bull Rescue, a Tampa-based non-profit specializing in high-risk extractions.

"They're the only ones who reached out and said, 'Yeah, we got you. Stand by,'" Panganiban said. "I believe the Lord is using Grey Bull directly to ensure the safety of us getting home."

On Tuesday, Grey Bull successfully moved the church group and more than 30 college students studying abroad by bus across the border into Jordan. The danger followed them to the very edge of the country.

"We were at the Israeli border and moments after we got our exit pass to leave Israel. We literally saw two rockets go over us and land and see both smokestacks go up," Panganiban said.

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By Wednesday morning, the non-profit had rescued more than 100 additional Americans from Israel. Bryan Stern, the founder and chairman of Grey Bull Rescue, noted that the current regional instability presents unique logistical hurdles compared to past operations.

"Normally, when we talk about closed airspace, we're talking about one country, and it’s usually Israel," Stern said. "Here, you have closed airspace all over the region, making it very, very, very difficult."

Dig deeper:

Grey Bull officials stated they have received hundreds of rescue requests from across the Middle East. While the organization plans to pivot operations to Dubai and other areas, they stressed that their ability to continue depends entirely on available funding.

"We're a non-profit and airplanes cost money and buses cost money. So, we're dealing with that, but we'll see how long that lasts. If the funding holds, there's certainly a demand signal to keep us in the region, but it really depends on the funding," Stern said.

The St. Petersburg group remains in Jordan as of Wednesday while Grey Bull coordinates their return to the United States. Due to security concerns, the non-profit has not disclosed the specific timing or flight paths for their journey home.

What you can do:

You can go to Grey Bull’s website to request help and also to donate.