 -- A Texas teenager was found a drift in a kayak 18 miles off the Honduras coast today after going missing last night during a family trip.

Aaron Rose, 18, had recently graduated from high school in Texas and was on a missionary trip to Honduras with his family when he went missing. Rose's grandmother Shirley Heard said Rose had wanted to kayak out along the coast to see the sunset when he went missing Wednesday.

Heard said her son Daniel Rose (Aaron Rose's father), went out after a few minutes and "couldn't see him on the horizon."

After the search was temporarily suspended due to rough weather overnight, it resumed early Thursday. Heard said her grandson was found by a search helicopter and boat.

"He was really thankful for being back on land," Heard told ABC News. "God protected him. He was still in the kayak."

Heard said she heard that Rose's father was able to greet the teen as he was rescued.

"I could hear his daddy on the film yelling 'Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus,'" Heard said.

Rose had graduated from Little Cypress-Mauriceville high school in Orange, Texas where he was the salutatorian.