FLINT, Mich. -- For the second time in two years, Katharine Lester boarded a plane to the West Bank to be with a Palestinian man she met on MySpace.com.

Lester’s first attempt was thwarted when FBI agents intervened and returned the then-16-year-old to her parents in Michigan.

Lester, now 18, was at the airport with her passport in hand, and there was little her parents could do to stop her.

One family member told TV5 that she worries Lester won’t come back, and that she won’t ever see her again. The family member went on to say “I’m just really scared. I hope that she comes back safe.”

Two years ago Lester made national headlines when she skipped the country to be with her forbidden computer love. She made it to Jordan but was then picked up by FBI agents and sent home.

To avoid prosecution as a runaway at the time, Lester had to turn her passport over to prosecutors, finish high school and complete counseling.

“I love them very much,” Lester said about her family Wednesday morning at Bishop International Airport. “I’m just hoping to stay safe. That’s about it.”

Lester's ticket to the Middle East is one-way, but she said she planned to return to see her family sometime in the future.

Lester’s mother, Shawn, and other family members were visibly upset as the teen boarded her plane.

Her mother released this statement to TV5:

“I would like to thank Judge Kent Renee Wood and the Caro, Mich. police department for giving our family one year with Katharine. It meant the world to us to have the time with her. Please pray for our family.”