Kidnapped and Taken to the Other Side of the World: The Lauren Burns Story (Part Two) | Ep. 56

Summary

The Miracle Files – Ep. 56: Kidnapped and Taken to the Other Side of the World: The Lauren Burns Story (Part Two)

Release Date: January 12, 2026
Hosts: Emily Jones & Holly Worthington

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Episode Overview

In Part Two of Lauren Burns’ extraordinary story, The Miracle Files continues the real-life account of a mother’s unwavering faith, the daring operation to rescue her kidnapped daughter from Jordan, and the series of miraculous turns that made the impossible possible. Hosted by sisters Emily and Holly, this episode delves into the emotional rescue mission, moments of divine guidance, the heroes who risked everything, and the hope that emerged from trauma. This is not a tale of revenge, but a story of resilience, relentless love, faith, and the triumph of good against extraordinary odds.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recap: Lauren’s Kidnapping & the Search (01:26–02:29)

• Background: Lauren was kidnapped by her father and taken from Dallas to Jordan; her mother Catherine had no custodial rights under local law.
• Desperate Search: Catherine, supported by a team of men (JD, Dave, and Don), launched a clandestine mission to find and rescue Lauren—knowing U.S. authorities couldn’t intervene.

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2. Finding the House: Catherine’s Moment of Divine Guidance (03:04–07:32)

• Memory and Desperation: After being driven around the unfamiliar Jordanian town of Jerash, Catherine’s hope faded—until a physical sensation triggered a buried memory of a steep hill leading to the house from her previous visit.
  • “I just lost it. I'm crying... I'm praying out loud. I'm begging to God. I'm in the floorboard of the car, crying and praying.” – Catherine (04:48)
• Divine Direction: Guided by prayer and intuition, Catherine directed the rescue team through the streets based solely on remembered landmarks, finally locating Lauren’s father’s house.
  • “God is divinely directing me to where she is... We got to the next corner. They turned there.” – Catherine (06:58)

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3. The Rescue Operation: Hijacking the School Bus (09:42–12:48)

• The Plan: The team determined the best spot to intercept Lauren was at a bus stop outside of town with minimal witness risk.
• Execution: On the day, two cars are deployed. After verifying Lauren was actually on the bus, the team blocked the vehicle, and in the ensuing chaos, Catherine forcibly removed Lauren.
  • “My mom was motioning to me, but I would not move. So my mom went around past JD and pushed her way through the kids and picked me up out, out of the seat...” – Lauren (10:18)
  • Memorable Moment: Catherine had to physically fight off a chaperone who tried to stop her.
    • “My mom had to let go of me, turn around and punch the woman in the nose... and now this woman's bleeding.” – Lauren (11:39)
• Escape: The group switched cars to avoid being tracked, while Dave acted as decoy (12:08).

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4. Evasion: Outwitting Police and Soldiers (12:48–15:21)

• Pursuit: Authorities were quickly alerted. The group used purchased airline tickets as a diversion, leading the police to the airport while they drove towards Israel.
  • “They were shutting down the whole airport looking for us... every single soldier got in their cars and they left. Dave on the side of the road in a cloud of dust...” – JD & Lauren (14:11–14:40)
• Divine Signs: As they drove, the thick fog caused anxiety, but a bright light over Israel – “the sun (son) is shining” – became a guiding sign for Catherine.
  • “That is Israel. The sun is shining over Israel. You see, that's how good God is... he shows up time and time again to say, I'm with you.” – Lauren (15:23)

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5. Crossing Into Israel: Miracles at the King Hussein Bridge (16:08–22:07)

• Preparation: Catherine had obtained a critical bridge pass under immense pressure, aided by a Jordanian officer who inexplicably relented as she broke down in tears.
  • “And he just picked up his paper and scribbled on it and handed it to me, handed me the bridge pass.” – Catherine (17:30)
• Border Ordeal: In disguise, Catherine and Lauren waited on a bus to cross as authorities scrambled at the border. They watched the chaos unfold behind them as they reached Israeli soil just in time.
  • “We sat on a bus for 30 minutes, waiting for the bus driver... by the time they found out, our bus had already rolled over into Israel and there's nothing they could do.” – Lauren (20:14, 21:45)
• Freedom at Last: On the Israeli side, strangers and border officials wept and celebrated the rescue—a cathartic moment for all involved.
  • “Do you see that mama and that little girl? That little girl was taken three months ago, and we just brought her home.” – JD (22:26)

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6. Behind-The-Scenes: Heroes and Miraculous Details (24:41–31:03)

• The Team: Dave, JD, Don orchestrated the operation, using clever decoys and immense faith.
  • “These men had so much faith... when their plans would hit a wall, they would literally turn to God to guide them.” – Emily Jones (25:11)
• Don’s Connections: Don’s history and contacts in Israel (notably Colonel Digley, a commander in the Entebbe raid) provided crucial help crossing the border and smoothing over issues with Israeli authorities.
  • “Colonel Digley…was really well respected... gave us a tour of the border... and got us through very quickly, Sarah.” – Don (25:50–27:41)
• Dave’s Escape: Miraculously, the decoy driver Dave managed to slip out on the only available flight due to a diplomatic exception.
• The “Perfect” Bus Stop: The farmhouse stop’s existence, just weeks old and used by another American child, was crucial—otherwise, the ambush spot wouldn't have existed.
  • “If they had found her a couple weeks earlier, they wouldn't have had this perfect spot to hijack the school bus.” – Holly (29:16)
• Motivation and Sacrifice: Catherine sold everything, going nearly broke for the rescue, but the men didn’t profit—only recouped expenses.
  • “These men had a huge heart. They didn't make any money off... just enough to pay... bribes and hotel and stuff... It's just a miraculous God story.” – Catherine (30:18–30:55)

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7. Reflections and Themes (29:23–31:07)

• Not a story about religious conflict, but rather the power of a parent’s love and faith.
• The importance of community, preparation, and divine intervention repeatedly underscored.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Divine Guidance:
  • “God is divinely directing me to where she is.” – Catherine (06:58)
• On Faith and Rescue:
  • “You see, that's how good God is... he shows up time and time again to say, I'm with you. I'm not going to leave you... Just trust me.” – Lauren (15:23)
• On the Miracle:
  • “I mean, you couldn't write this stuff up. You couldn't make it up.” – Catherine (24:14)
• The Heroes’ Heart:
  • “These men were clearly not in it for the money.” – Holly (31:03)
• On Miraculous Coincidence:
  • “There was an American child that moved into that farmhouse just weeks before…” – Emily (28:35)
• After the Escape:
  • “That little girl was taken three months ago, and we just brought her home.” – JD (22:26)

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Timeline of Major Events

• [03:33] Catherine’s flight to Jordan, her disguised survey of Jerash.
• [06:04] Miraculous recollection of the route to Lauren’s father’s house.
• [09:42] Rescue operation at the rural bus stop.
• [14:00] Decoy car diversion, police pursued the wrong leads.
• [16:08] Escape through thick fog towards Israeli border.
• [17:30] Miraculous acquisition of bridge pass.
• [20:14–21:45] Tense border crossing, just ahead of the Jordanian crackdown.
• [22:26] Arrival and celebration in Israel.

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Memorable Moments

• Catherine’s breakdown-turned-breakthrough in the car, feeling guided by God.
• The physical struggle on the bus and the split-second decisions that determined Lauren’s fate.
• Celebration by total strangers at the Israeli border – a communal miracle.
• Emotional gratitude and relief:
  • “She said, I can't believe it. She said, I thought I was having a dream.” – Catherine (12:53)
• Behind-the-scenes military connections and divine timing that kept the team one step ahead.

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Reflections & Final Messages

• Faith and action, woven together, turn the impossible into reality.
• The broadcast emphasizes that the story transcends borders and faiths; what matters is the power of love and hope.
  • “This is not a story about Christians versus Muslims. This is simply a story about a mother whose child was kidnapped and who was rescued.” – Emily (29:23)
• Lauren’s book is forthcoming; listeners are invited to follow and support.

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Takeaways

This episode is a stirring testament to how love, faith, courage, and a committed community of helpers can overcome bureaucracy, borders, and even fate itself. The story’s layered miracles, both spiritual and practical, will inspire anyone facing seemingly insurmountable odds.

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For more miracles or to support Lauren’s forthcoming book, check The Miracle Files show notes and social media.

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End of summary.

Transcript

[Narrator]

Everyone in the car knew the same thing. By now the police would be alerted.

[Lauren]

When Dave drove back towards the city, he got pulled over and he was surrounded by Jordanian police and they were.

[Catherine]

Tearing the car apart trying to find something. He said he could hear their walkie talkies saying, the airport, the airport.

[Narrator]

The airline manifests were pulled there. They were two American names, Katherine and Lauren.

[JD]

They were shutting down the whole airport for us.

[Narrator]

This is the Miracle Files. I'm Emily Jones.

[Emily Jones]

And I'm Holly Worthington. We're two sisters who love a captivating true story. But we're also seeking more light in our lives.

[Narrator]

So we're on a mission to find and share unforgettable, uplifting stories of God's miracles. We hope you'll join us on this journey.

[Emily Jones]

Welcome back to the Miracle Files. If you haven't already listened to part one of this episode, hurry and listen to that and then come back here for part two. And if you thought part one was amazing, just wait. Part two is even more incredible.

[Holly Worthington]

You're gonna love it. It's got all the twists and turns and it's an amazing story, but we are gonna just jump right in. Here is a quick recap of part one.

[Lauren]

My dad came to pick me up and he said, I have a big surprise for you. We are actually going to the airport.

[Catherine]

I saw her class line up, but no. Lauren and I immediately knew he took her and Jordan.

[Lauren]

He didn't have much to do with me.

[Catherine]

The man has all rights. The mother has none.

[Lauren]

The more things I asked, the more angry he became.

[Catherine]

The State Department's not going to be able to help you. I can help.

[Narrator]

Al warned the operation would be costly.

[Catherine]

I was ready to rob a bank if that's what it came to.

[Narrator]

These were men who knew how to work off grid.

[Lauren]

We can't guarantee your daughter's safety or your safety.

[Narrator]

Looking for Lauren was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

[Lauren]

And they could not find me.

[JD]

J.D. knew that it was beyond his strength. So standing in the streets of Jerush, he began to pray. A school bus pulled up right where he was standing. And there I sat, staring right back at him.

[Holly Worthington]

And now, part two of Kidnapped by my father.

[Narrator]

JD had seen her. The girl with the light blue eyes and dark complexion. It felt as if those eyes had pierced his soul. They haunted him. Now more than ever. He, Dave and Dawn were determined to find this lost little girl and help her. It had been nearly three agonizing months since Katherine had last seen her seven year old daughter. Lauren. At last the call came in and.

[Catherine]

They called and said, we need you to come. We need you to fly in.

[Narrator]

The men had caught a glimpse of Lauren in Jarich, a small town an hour north of Amman. But when they tried to find the bus the next day, at the same time, they couldn't locate it. They needed Catherine's help to find Ollie's house, hoping she could recall anything significant from her brief visit years earlier. With a surge of anxiety and hope, Catherine bought the first plane ticket she could.

[Catherine]

So I got on the plane the next day and flew into Oman. They picked me up at the airport, stopped along the way and got like, a headscarf so I could have a disguise, and drove me up to the town. It was about an hour outside of Amman. There were a lot of ruins there, so it was a bit of a tourist town called Jerash. And when they drove into town, they said, we're going to drive a grid of the streets, and when you see something that looks familiar, just let us know.

[Narrator]

All day they drove through the streets of Jerish, trying to find something that looked familiar to Catherine. She had promised the men she could find the house. It seemed so vivid in her mind. But with each passing second, every turn brought more doubt. The town had changed so much. Paved roads where dirt roads had been new buildings, shops where old alleyways once stood. Her confidence cracked. She couldn't do it. She couldn't remember. In a moment of absolute despair, Catherine slid off the seat and into the floorboard of the car, hands shaking, tears dropping from her cheeks, her voice rising. She knew God was the only one who could help her.

[Catherine]

I just lost it. I'm crying.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

I'm praying out loud. I'm begging to God. I'm in the floorboard of the car, crying and praying.

[Narrator]

And then Kathryn felt something. The car began to slow and struggle, and the engine groaned. Catherine's breath hitched.

[Catherine]

A hill.

[Narrator]

They were going up a steep hill. It pulled something loose that had been long buried in her memory.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

And all of a sudden, I felt this car struggling to make it up the hill. When I'd visited there before, the years.

[Catherine]

Before, the ladies would prepare a big meal in the middle of the day, and then afterward, they would all walk arm in arm every day to a different woman's house. And they would have coffee and cookies and smoke one cigarette after the other. They weren't allowed to smoke in front of the men. I remember when the car started.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

I'm still crying. I'm still in the floorboard. When I felt that Car struggle to.

[Catherine]

Get up the hill.

[Narrator]

It hit Kathryn so hard, this man memory of walking up a steep hill with the women. In a moment that felt so divinely directed, Catherine suddenly knew exactly where she.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

Was remembered walking that street. I remembered having to try to walk up that hill.

[Catherine]

It was all I could do, even as a young person, to walk up that hill. And these older ladies didn't seem to struggle at all.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

I remembered that still in the floorboard.

[Narrator]

Without ever opening her eyes, Catherine began calling out directions. The men exchanged glances. Something had shifted. Suddenly Catherine wasn't just guessing. She was remembering and being guided.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

I stopped crying.

[Catherine]

I said, when you get to the.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

Top of this hill, turn left. I said, a short way down on the left there's a stairwell.

[Catherine]

I said, do you see it?

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

I'm still on the floorboard.

[Catherine]

Yes, we see it.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

I said, keep going slow.

[Catherine]

You'll see if there's a photography studio on the right. That was his brother's. They said, we see it. It's still there. I said, turn at the very next road left.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

I'm still in the forebod. God is divinely directing me to where she is. We got to the next corner. They turned there.

[Catherine]

I said, you should be in like a little town square. Look at your 11 o'.

[Narrator]

Clock.

[Catherine]

11 o' clock from here will be a pharmacy. They said, we see it. It's still there. They drove to that. I said, there's a street right beside it. Drive up the street, up a hill. His house is right behind the pharmacy. I walked to that pharmacy. I remember it when I was there visiting.

[Narrator]

Finally, Catherine lifted herself and looked out the window.

[Catherine]

And they said, look away as we drive by, just hide your face. But before I looked away, I see him. He's standing on the front step steps. They said, look away. And I looked away. And there was his car, a white Honda Accord with Texas plates, sitting on.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

The street in front of the house.

[Narrator]

They'd found him. They'd found Ollie. Catherine wanted to run inside to her daughter and whisk her away. Now, unfortunately, she knew it wasn't that easy. They couldn't storm the house. It was too close to a police station. They needed a game plan. The next morning, the men told Catherine she needed to stay at the hotel while they handled the planning and scouting. Outside Ollie's house, the men waited until they caught sight of Lauren.

[Catherine]

They did their surveillance. They saw her get on the bus. They followed the bus. It stopped about five miles out of town at a little farmhouse.

[Narrator]

The small farmhouse was rural, remote. It was the last bus stop on the way to school and the perfect place to accomplish what J.D. don, and Dave needed to accomplish. The men decided that would be their moment. The plan was simple in theory, terrifying in reality. When the bus stopped at the farmhouse, the men and Catherine would hijack the school bus and grab Lauren before anyone could react, get her in the car, and vanish. Before word reached the authorities, they would only have one shot to get it right. The code word for the day of the rescue was the sun is shining, but it wasn't spelled S U N. It was spelled S O N. Catherine felt hope in that simple statement. The morning of the operation, Dave confirmed Lauren was on the bus. They didn't have any time to spare. The team acted fast. At the same time, Lauren was riding along, oblivious to the plan that was now set in motion. What followed was a complete shock to her. Here's Lauren.

[JD]

So there was two cars the day of the mission.

[Lauren]

One car was Dave. He was the lookout. His job was to watch the house to make sure I actually got on.

[JD]

The bus, because don't hijack a bus if the kid's not on it.

[Lauren]

The other car was my mom and dawn and JD and so once Dave saw that I got on the bus, he drove over to where Don was and said, missions ago, Lauren's on the bus. As the bus drove past, Don pulled the car behind the bus, blocking it in so they couldn't move. Dawn got out and went to the driver's side window and started spinning, speaking English to distract the driver. JD Got out and went and pried open the bus doors, and he got the keys out of the ignition and threw the keys into some bushes, hoping they'd go looking for the keys instead of going straight to the police. My mom, dressed in disguise, walked over to the bus, and she spotted me through the window and she tapped on the window and this is something I will never forget. I have forgotten a lot because it was very traumatic, but I won't ever forget forget the moment I saw my mom. She was staring at me through that window with her hair covered, and all I could think of is, it looks like my mom, but how can it be? My mom's all the way in Dallas. That can't be her. And I froze. I went into shock at that moment. My mom was motioning to me, but I would not move. So my mom went around past JD and pushed her way through the kids and picked me up out, out of the seat, grabbed my backpack, and as she was getting me off the bus, there was A woman chaperone on the bus, and the woman chaperone has no clue what's going on.

[Narrator]

As Katherine tried to get Lauren off the bus, the chaperone leapt onto Katherine's back, preventing her from leaving. But Catherine had come too far to be stopped by this woman. Now, without even thinking, Catherine fought back.

[Lauren]

My mom had to let go of me, turn around and punch the woman in the nose.

[Catherine]

And.

[Lauren]

And now this woman's bleeding. So I was really freaking out. I'm like, is this really my mom hurting this woman? They get me into the car. JD and dawn see what's going on. They come over and help my mom. They hide me in the floorboard, and they all get in the car, and we speed off. And a couple blocks down the road, we switched cars with Dave. That way, no one would recognize the car we were in.

[Narrator]

Lauren, still in shock, lay on the floorboard of the car, covered by a blanket. Dave now had the most dangerous job, serving as a decoy. He drove the car away that the men had used during the hijacking of the bus. The hope was that if any police showed up, they would follow Dave instead of the other car. Meanwhile, Don drove at what felt like a turtle's pace. The fog was so thick he could barely see past the hood of the car. The men told Katherine to keep her head down. Poor Lauren sat on the floorboards of the car, still reeling from the shock of it all. Katherine comforted her and assured her that they would be going home now.

[Catherine]

I said, baby, you didn't seem like you recognized me. She goes, I thought I was having a dream.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

She said, I can't believe it. She said, I thought I was having a dream.

[Narrator]

As the four drove through the city, the minutes stretched thin with terror. Everyone in the car knew the same thing. By now, Ollie would have discovered Lauren was gone. By now, the police would be alerted. And by now, security forces would be headed to the airport, the place where Catherine had purchased airline tickets just hours earlier. When the Jordanian authorities realized Lauren was gone, panic rippled through the system. Phones rang, radios buzzed. The police called, and the airline manifests were pulled. There they were. Two reservations, two seats, two American names, Catherine and Lauren. Within minutes, soldiers were deployed, racing toward the Amman airport, determined to intercept the fleeing Americans before they ever reached the gate. As Dave drove the decoy car, he was pulled over by the Jordanian police. The school bus driver had identified his vehicle.

[JD]

They brought the bus driver to interrogate Dave. And the bus driver is saying in Arabic, yes, that's the car, but I don't know who this man is because.

[Lauren]

You see, Dave wasn't at the hijacking, and there was no evidence of us.

[JD]

And Dave said, I was standing on the side of the road being interrogated, and all of a sudden, I heard Alia Airport. Alia Airport. On all of the soldiers radios. They were shutting down the whole airport looking for us. So in that moment, every single soldier.

[Lauren]

Got in their cars and they left.

[JD]

Dave on the side of the road in a cloud of dust, and he.

[Lauren]

Was able to escape.

[Narrator]

The soldiers were confident. They were closing in on Catherine and Lauren. Two American women couldn't hide in the airport forever. It was only a matter of time. The men searched crowds, faces, lines of people. They wouldn't let the airplane leave. But there was something the soldiers and police didn't know. Catherine and Lauren weren't in the airport at all. The airline tickets had been nothing more than a diversion, a deliberate trail of breadcrumbs laid out to lead the Jordanian police down the wrong path. Meanwhile, JD And Don were driving Catherine and Lauren in the opposite direction, toward Israel.

[Lauren]

The fog was so thick that day.

[JD]

That we could not drive very fast.

[Lauren]

And as we're driving through the valley, the only thing my mom could see was a bright light in the distance through the fog. And she's holding me in the backseat and she's praying and she's terrified because we could get pulled over at any moment. And my mom said, what is that bright light? What is that in the distance? And dawn said, well, Kathy, that is Israel. The sun is shining over Israel. You see, that's how good God is. In the middle of your fear, in the middle of terror, he shows up time and time again to say, I'm with you. I'm not going to leave you. I'm not going to forsake you. Just trust me.

[Narrator]

Katherine and Lauren were hurtling toward a border that no one imagined they'd dare to attempt, the most fortified crossing in the region. As Catherine looked toward the light shining in the distance, she knew they still faced incredible danger. This border was the one everyone said was impossible to cross illegally. This place was surrounded with electrified fences, machine gun towers, snipers in the hills, and guards who didn't hesitate to shoot. Dawn drove fast toward the King Hussein Bridge, the only way to cross into Israel. To take the bridge, they needed a pass. Catherine had already secured one only days before, under intense scrutiny.

[Catherine]

That was one of the hardest things that I had to do. I was a nervous wreck, and I had to go sit at a desk at some kind of Jordanian government department to request a bridge pass to be able to cross with Lorne. And I and I had to make up some story that, you know, the dad wasn't there, you know, I had to make up this whole story. I was so uncomfortable. And the officer that was, I was being interrogated, basically he started to pick up the phone and my gut was telling me my heart was saying he's not going to give me the pass.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

And I started crying and he put the phone back down.

[Catherine]

And he just picked up his paper and scribbled on it and handed it to me, handed me the bridge pass.

[Narrator]

Miraculously, the Jordanian officer had simply relented and given Catherine the slip of paper she needed. But crossing the bridge still wouldn't be easy. Catherine wore a long, modest dress and a headscarf pulled low, hiding her hair. Lauren was dressed in second hand clothes, her face smudged with dirt, her head down. Dawn drove to the border station surrounded by barbed wire and soldiers with machine guns. Here they would need to leave their vehicle and cross the bridge on a bus. Catherine hoped she had all the necessary paperwork, but what she definitely didn't have was time. As the guards carefully looked over the documents, Catherine prayed they would hurry before the police and soldiers caught up with them. In the days leading up to the rescue, rescue, the three men had crossed the bridge repeatedly posing as security for an American film being shot in Israel and offering the guards small gifts or food to earn their trust. It had all been for this very moment. But the three men had never crossed with a woman and a seven year old child. They told the guards Catherine was a wealthy American actress working on the film and prayed the story would hold. They couldn't risk even a hint of suspicion. Catherine could barely breathe. Her heart pounded in her chest so loudly she feared the guards could hear.

[Catherine]

It and that King Hussein Allenby Bridge crosses the Jordan River. And I looked it up.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

It was less than a mile.

[Catherine]

Where John the Baptist baptized Jesus as history would have it. But the bus could only drive. There was a Jordanian with a machine gun over his chest and.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

And he walked in front of the bus.

[Narrator]

The guards allowed Catherine, the men and Lauren to climb aboard the bus. But then the bus didn't move. The four sat waiting and waiting. What was happening? The bus driver's seat sat empty. Catherine's pulse thundered in her ears. She watched as the soldiers at the border station talked. What were they saying? She pleaded silently with God that the guards wouldn't stop them. Now they were so close to Israel, she could see it. She could see the flag waving and the light shining there. Finally, someone mentioned to them that the bus driver was taking a lunch break and would take them to Israel once he was done eating. Catherine felt absolutely desperate. A lunch break now, when the police and soldiers could be here at any moment to stop them. Lauren remembers the long, torturous wait. The air thick with tension.

[Lauren]

And we waited and waited and waited. We sat on a bus for 30 minutes, waiting for the bus driver to get on the bus. And he finally came on the bus.

[Narrator]

The driver turned the ignition and began driving, more like crawling along the bridge toward the next border station. They were feet away from freedom, and yet the bus inched along.

[Catherine]

You could see the big blue and white Israeli flag flying. There was a little guard post, little shack in the middle of the bridge. And there was all this changing of the guard. The Jordanians would get off, the Israelis would get on, and there again, walk slowly.

[Narrator]

Finally, they reached the middle of the bridge. The Jordanian bus driver got off and the Israeli driver got on.

[Lauren]

So we began to drive. And right as we get to that border crossing where those soldiers are, there's a big commotion behind us. All these cars are pulling up. They had just realized that I wasn't at the airport, but that I was on that bus.

[Narrator]

Katherine and Lauren looked back at the chaos ensuing behind them, Lights flashing, cars getting to a stop, men shouting and running. The soldiers and police stopped at the guard station. Behind them, a flurry of commotion. Catherine could almost hear their heads exploding with rage and shock as everyone realized what had happened. The Jordanian soldiers put the word out to stop all border crossings.

[Lauren]

But by the time they found out, our bus had already rolled over into Israel and there's nothing they could do. We got off of that bus. My mom literally just all the emotions came down. She's hugging me, she's crying, I'm crying.

[Narrator]

It all felt like a dream. While Don spoke with the Israeli soldiers, Catherine and Lauren stood there in the sunlight, blinking at one another. They were free. And then suddenly they found themselves surrounded by a group of people. Only this time, they were speaking English.

[Lauren]

And there's a group of women waiting on that side in Israel at the checkpoint. And they go over to JD And JD is this big, handsome military guy, and they're like, excuse me, what is going on? Is that woman okay? Is the little girl okay? And JD Looks at her with big tears coming down his face. And he said, do you see that mama and that little girl? That little girl was taken three months ago, and we just brought her home. We just Brought her home to safety. And those women came around us and.

[JD]

They began to cry and say hallelujah.

[Lauren]

Praise you, Jesus. You've brought us to the Holy Land.

[JD]

And we've seen a miracle. So even after all we had endured, God had people on the other side ready to celebrate our victory with us.

[Narrator]

Catherine held Lauren close, her arms wrapped around the child she thought she might never see again. And for the first time in months, she could finally breathe. Catherine had come so far from her days praying in the motel. This was a woman who had battled governments, geography, and spiritual darkness and won because she dared to believe. Because she chose to fast rather than surrender. Because she prayed until heaven moved. She couldn't wait to share the news with her dear friends, the Lamberts. No military team had ever rescued a child from Jordan. Not ever. Until now. Until the sun shined and a mother walked straight through enemy territory with her faith, three brave men, and the favor of God and brought her baby girl back home. Katherine herself can still hardly believe it.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

I mean, you couldn't write this stuff up. You couldn't make it up.

[Catherine]

But that was my story of getting.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

My sweet baby Lauren back.

[Emily Jones]

Oh, my goodness. I am so grateful that this story ended the way it did. And I know. What a miracle that they were able to find this little Lauren and return her home safely. It was just amazing.

[Holly Worthington]

So many miracles. And there's so much to talk about with this story, but can we start by talking about how amazing these three guys were?

[Emily Jones]

Oh, yeah. True heroes. They were incredible.

[Holly Worthington]

They were, like, one step ahead of the Jordanian government the whole time. I was so amazed at all the details they thought out. Like, throw in the bus keys, they have a decoy car. They purchased airline tickets. I mean, they had gone days earlier.

[Narrator]

To bribe these guards.

[Holly Worthington]

Like, they had thought of everything.

[Emily Jones]

Yeah, everything. And on top of that, these men had so much faith. I mean, they were men of God, and when their plans would hit a wall, they would literally turn to God to guide them.

[Holly Worthington]

Yeah, it's pretty incredible. I mean, it's like the dream team, right?

[Lauren]

Yeah.

[Holly Worthington]

When you got these three guys and you got God, like, yes.

[Emily Jones]

So true. And we shared this story from Katherine and Lauren's perspective, but there were things going on behind the scenes I'm not even sure they knew about. Like, these men were doing all sorts of things to make sure that this worked out okay. And Don shared something on Lauren's podcast, Redeemed Podcast. And this is crazy. You have to hear what Don shared.

[Don]

I had worked in Israel, and I had a Very good friend called Colonel Digley. And Colonel Digley was one of the members of the Entebbe raid. He was an overall commander, and he was really well respected. And I went over there and I said, hey, Colonel, how you doing? We're going to go to Jordan. We're going to do this, we're going to do that. We're going to pick up this girl, blah, blah, blah. We're going to cross the border. And he goes, oh, is that right? Yes, sir. He says, come with me. So he took us to the border, and he gave us a tour of the border.

[Emily Jones]

He.

[Don]

He said, you see that? Those are tank traps. You see that? That's minefields. You see those recon guys up there? The snipers are up there. Now, how do you plan on getting across here? I was like, maybe I better come up with a better idea. Smacks me in the cheek. He says, yes, you better, because you ain't coming across that field. So we went back with him, we talked to some of his people, and he was an amazing guy. He had contacts everywhere. No sooner were we in the Israeli side, the Allenby Bridge got a phone call to stop all crossings. They just put the word out to stop all crossings. We were already on the Israeli side. The Israelis are going, what are you doing here? What are you coming here for? We had to tell the guys, look, this kid was kidnapped to Jordan. And of course, now they get suspicious. And I say, okay, wait a minute. Let me borrow your phone, okay? And they're being a little snub. And I dial Colonel Bigley's number. I said, hey, sir. Hey, it's Don. We're across the Allenby Bridge, but I have a problem. What's the problem? I said, well, these soldiers here give me a hard time about entering. Put them on the phone. I said, colonel Digley would like to speak to you. I gave him the phone. They go, colonel Digley? And I said, yes. They snapped to attention. Next thing you know, the soldier dropped the phone, hung it up, and said, I can get you through very quickly, Sarah.

[Emily Jones]

Oh, my goodness. Can you imagine if they'd been turned back at that point? I mean, after they'd come so far.

[Holly Worthington]

It'S just another one of those things. Like, so many things had to go right. If any one thing went wrong, this could have ended in disaster.

[Narrator]

Absolutely.

[Emily Jones]

Yeah. So many things had to go right. And one thing that I'm sure you're all wondering is what happened to Dave? He had the decoy car. Like, what happened?

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Holly Worthington]

Dave actually experienced his own Little miracle.

[JD]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

Because all of the flights that day.

[Holly Worthington]

Had been canceled when they were looking.

[Narrator]

For Catherine and Lauren, except for one.

[Holly Worthington]

There was one flight that went out because they had some French diplomats that were. They needed to get to Paris. And Dave was able to book a flight first class. He was able to fly out that day.

[Emily Jones]

So.

[Holly Worthington]

Incredible.

[Emily Jones]

Amazing.

[JD]

Yeah.

[Emily Jones]

I mean, God is definitely in this story.

[Holly Worthington]

Right.

[Emily Jones]

And, you know, another little miracle that I want to mention is the bus stop out at the farmhouse. I know that sounds kind of crazy that that was a miracle, but let me explain. There was an American child that moved into that farmhouse just weeks before that. Yeah. And that's why there was a bus stop there. And that was the only bus stop that was out in the middle of nowhere, that was far away, that the police couldn't get there right away and a bunch of witnesses around. Yeah. So that was the only place where they could have stopped the bus and gotten Lauren off of it and had.

[Holly Worthington]

Time to get away without being right in town. Like, you think about if they would have found Lauren a couple weeks earlier. I mean, they had been looking for her for months.

[Emily Jones]

Yeah.

[Holly Worthington]

If they had found her a couple weeks earlier, they wouldn't have had this perfect spot to hijack the school bus.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Holly Worthington]

It's amazing how God works.

[Emily Jones]

Yeah. So true. And one other thing I want to just make clear is this is not a story about Christians versus Muslims. This is simply a story about a mother whose child was kidnapped and who was rescued. And Catherine was very supportive of her daughter having a relationship with her father.

[Holly Worthington]

This is just a story about the amazing miracles that Katherine experienced.

[Emily Jones]

Yes.

[Narrator]

God was clearly a part of the story.

[Holly Worthington]

Like I think about when she was on the floorboard of that car.

[Emily Jones]

Oh, yeah.

[Holly Worthington]

And God guided her to Ollie's house.

[Narrator]

It's just.

[Holly Worthington]

This is an amazing story that was.

[Emily Jones]

So powerful to me. And Catherine is so grateful to God for all of his help throughout this whole journey, and so grateful for the men who helped her, these men of God who helped her the entire way. And I want to share one quick sound bite where Katherine talked about how selfless these men truly were.

[Catherine]

Oh, I was ready to rob a bank if that's what it came to. I mean, I had some crazy thoughts I never probably would have, but it took every dime I had to get her out of there. And that's where the men that I hired, they had a huge heart. They didn't make any money off of, you know, the expenses and such. They did just enough to be able to pay airline tickets and to bribes and hotel and stuff like that. And I'm forever grateful for those men and for Al at the grand jury and all the others that helped me along the way. It's just.

[Catherine (praying/reflecting)]

It's just a miraculous God story. You know, all the little pieces that came together, it's just amazing.

[Holly Worthington]

I mean, these men were clearly not in it for the money.

[Emily Jones]

No, definitely not.

[JD]

Yeah.

[Holly Worthington]

All right, well, we want to thank Lauren, Katherine, and everyone involved in sharing this story with us. Lauren actually wrote a book about her experience. She's currently in the publication process, but if you want to get on her pre release list, we're going to share a link to that in our show notes as well as on social media, so make sure you sign up for that. Yeah.

[Emily Jones]

And she's got all sorts of recordings and interviews she's done with these men, so should be an amazing book.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Holly Worthington]

Check it out.

[Emily Jones]

Well, thank you everyone, and if you know someone who you think would enjoy this podcast or be inspired by this story, please share it with them.

[Narrator]

Yes.

[Emily Jones]

And as always, like, leave us a review, all that good stuff, so we can continue to bring you this podcast. See you next time. Thank you for joining us. If you have a miracle to share, contact [e-mail] or find us on Facebook.

[Narrator]

We're now releasing multiple episodes each month, so subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and YouTube for amazing video content as well.

[Emily Jones]

Join us next time as we discover more of God's miracles. And don't forget to look for his light in your own lives.