ST. LOUIS — Stories of escape are coming in from bi-state residents who were in Israel when chaos erupted.
For a Metro East couple, what was supposed to be a vacation quickly turned into a frantic rush to get out.
Waiting has never been easier to do, especially when you know your loved ones are out of the path of danger.
“Still don’t see them,” Jenni Beck said standing next to her family at St. Louis Lambert International Airport Thursday. "It's been a rollercoaster of emotions,” she said, referring to her parents who have been in Israel for days.
With signs in hand and patience in tow, the family stood by awaiting the moment they’d make it off the plane. As soon as they caught a glimpse of the couple, they erupted in cheers and applause.
“Oh, goodness. So good to be home,” Danny Rowe said while being met with an embrace.
Thursday evening, he and his wife Carmen Rowe made it home from war-torn Israel.
"Makes me cry,’ Carmen Rowe said.
The Godfrey couple went overseas for a church trip to the Holy Land. On their first day there, they didn’t know what they were in store for.
"About 6:30, the sirens started going off. We thought they were just sirens, warning sirens, test sirens,” the couple said.
It didn't take long for reality to hit.
"We could hear all the explosions in the background. We were about 35, 40 miles from the Gaza Strip area…We realized the danger we were in and the possible danger,” Danny Rowe said.
“They wanted us to leave the country. They were urging us to get out as soon as we possibly could,” Carmen Rowe added.
It took days for that to happen. Flights were constantly being rescheduled and canceled.
Their days were spent running to bomb shelters while trying to figure out how to escape.
"You never heard the sirens go off unless a bomb got through the iron dome. When the bomb got through the iron dome, and the sirens went off, you had one minute to get to shelter before you knew where it was going to land,” Carmen Rowe said.
When they got the call a flight was available, they rushed to the airport. Several flights later, they're back home.
Their daughter had an idea.
"Ground them so they don’t leave the country again,” she said with a laugh. “No, we’re going to let them rest. Take them dinner and just let them recover. It's been a long couple of days,” Beck said.
"You can take my passport now,” Danny Rowe joked.
The couple was able to get off the plane and into their car fairly quickly because their luggage never made it with them. It's stuck in Germany. After everything they've been through, that's the least of their worries.