An Arizona family got lost at sea for weeks after they attempted to flee the U.S. because of government interference in religious matters.

Hannah Gastonguay, 26, told reporters that she and her husband had “decided to take a leap of faith and see where God led us” when they boarded a small boat and tried to sail with their two young children from San Diego to the tiny island nation of Kiribati.

The Gastonguay family took to the sea because of their opposition to "abortion, homosexuality, in the state-controlled church.” They no longer felt that the United States was a good home for them, and set out to fit a new, more accepting land. They chose Kiribati, which is in the middle of the Pacific, because, as Hannah Gastonguay explained, "we didn’t want to go anywhere big.”

Setting off in May, the Gastonguay family immediately hit a series of storms which left them adrift in the ocean for weeks. They soon began running low on food and supplies, as their boat continued to take damage from one storm after another.

"We didn’t feel like we were going to die or anything," Ms. Gastonguay said. "We believed God would see us through."

The family was finally found by a Venezuelan fishing vessel, which took them to safety. According to Gastonguay, the Captain told them "Do you know where you’re at? You’re in the middle of nowhere."

The family was eventually dropped off at the U.S. embassy in Chile, where they will now fly home today, courtesy of the same government that has so seriously interfered with their religion.