A Midland family extends their stay in Jerusalem due to escalating Israel-Iran conflict.
MIDLAND, Texas — What began as a spiritual pilgrimage for a Midland family has turned into an extended stay under lockdown in Jerusalem, as conflict between Israel and Iran escalates.
Pastor Steve Brooks, his wife, and their 9-year-old twins, Simon and Sadie, arrived in Tel Aviv on June 3. The group of travelers, led by retired Tulsa pastor Tom Harrison, includes 10 pastors and their spouses as part of a yearlong learning cohort.
Their journey took them across northern Israel to the Sea of Galilee — where Jesus headquartered his ministry — then south to the Dead Sea, before arriving in Jerusalem.
“We made our way back up to Jerusalem, where we were supposed to spend the next five nights seeing all the things around the city,” Brooks said.
But their plans changed when missile alarms sounded overnight.
“My phone went off, an alert went off and we were instructed on what to do,” Brooks recalled. “But I didn’t take it seriously, and so I just went back to sleep. One of our Pilgrim mates knocked on the door and said we need to get down to the shelter.”
The family spent hours in a reinforced hotel shelter with others seeking safety. Despite the uncertainty, Brooks said they never felt afraid — leaning instead on guidance, community and faith.
“We never felt threatened or really afraid,” he said. “The hotel that we’re staying in has this great shelter. It’s very well reinforced.”
One moment that stuck with him happened in the shelter during the chaos: a lighthearted encounter with two young women attending a wedding.
“These two bridesmaids, all dressed up, came walking toward me and looked at me with this sad look and said, ‘Welcome to Israel,’” he said. “They were just trying to be funny and lighten the mood. They started singing. It was just so encouraging and so beautiful.”
For Brooks, the experience has been deeply spiritual, even in crisis — especially for his children.
“They haven’t acted scared very much — just a couple of moments — because they’re just confused,” he said. “They’ve been so loved by this group of 40 people we’ve been with. They feel very safe.”
Though the timeline to return home is still uncertain, Brooks says they’re being cared for and are in contact with the U.S. State Department.
“We’ve gotten word that the government is working on a plan to get us out,” he said. “Until that plan is formulated and started to be executed, we’ll just wait here. But we’re well fed, we’ve got water, we’ve got everything we need. We have each other.”
As for whether he would return to Israel again, Brooks says absolutely.
“You’ve got to live your life — and you can’t live your life if you’re always afraid,” he said. “We understood there was a risk. I’m just thankful that we have people that care about us enough to help get us back home.”