REPRESENTATIVE MEADOWS: Yeah. Pastor, welcome home. But I think the other thing is, you had dozens and dozens of advocates. You had one champion in the President of the United States. But he was the answer to millions of prayers that went up on your behalf and the behalf of your family. So thank you for keeping the faith. Thank you for the entire team. And praise God for a wonderful celebration today. And thank you, Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Mark, very much. Appreciate it.
James? Please. Oh, yes, go ahead.
MRS. BRUNSON: Just also thanks so much to the chargé. To both. There was a transition time, but both of them were just so wonderful. And we just want to acknowledge them publicly.
THE PRESIDENT: You know what? Before James goes - and you know how James has fought for you - I'd like you maybe to say something on behalf of your husband and how great he - the bravery that he showed. Because you know exactly what was going on. You saw it better than anybody.
MRS. BRUNSON: It was hard for him. And really, the Lord pulled him through. Yeah. Yeah. I think it was a great testimony in Turkey. We would like people to know who we really are there. That we really are there to bless the country. That's our desire.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you for your bravery and everything else.
How about you?
MRS. FURNARI: I just want to say thank you for all of your involvement. I don't think that we'd be sitting here right now. I don't think that I'd be seeing my parents right now if it were not for your involvement and your strong stance. So thank you.
THE PRESIDENT: I appreciate it. Thank you very much.
MRS. BRUNSON: She was the face of the family.
THE PRESIDENT: She was.
MRS. BRUNSON: She was.
THE PRESIDENT: She's become very famous. (Laughter.)
Go ahead.
BRUNSON: I just wanted to say thank you for everything that you've done. I know you and the Vice President have worked really hard, and all of these people. And it was really hard, like, my dad being gone. So thank you for bringing him back. It was definitely amazing.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you've got great parents. And it's terrific. It's our honor.
And, James, maybe we'll close it out with you? I'll just say, on behalf of the Vice President, we are so happy, so thrilled. James Lankford, go ahead, please.
SENATOR LANKFORD: Thank you, Mr. President. You all have both faced incredible risks personally. Your tenacity to be able to stay there by his side throughout this, at great personal risk to yourself through this process, has been awe-inspiring for many of us to be able to watch as well.
We're incredibly grateful for you all to be able to be home. And we look forward to having a celebration like - a day like this for other Americans from Turkey that need to come home as well, to be able to finish that out. And we look forward to getting all of those individuals resolved as well and back home.
But today, we're just incredibly grateful after two very long years, for you to be able to be home. And I look forward to hearing your stories about driving through drive-throughs and getting a hamburger - (laughter) - and about going to just hang out and going to your own church, and just being able to relax and to be able to be with family.
And we're all looking forward to those days of you all not having to be on the front page of a paper and just being back to being Americans again. And be able to do this. So, welcome home.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, James. Thank you.
