After a trek to Temple Mount and intense security checks, Revere High School senior Nick Jones stood near the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, Israel, contemplating the diversity of humankind. While many RHS students stayed in Ohio’s dreary winter weather during winter break, Jones flew across the globe, a multicultural, religiously diverse experience awaiting him.

Jones and his father Darryl Jones traveled to Israel from December 16, 2015 to January 4, 2016 with a religious travel agency called Bountiful Travel. Along with about twenty other teens and adults, Jones and his father toured numerous cities in the country, learning about the history, culture and the Biblical relevance of Israel.

Jones’ parents wanted to take him on a trip of his choice in order to spend time together before Jones leaves for college. Jones explained why he chose to visit Israel.

“I originally thought about the Baltic Sea, but I decided on Israel because I really wanted to make the stuff that I read about in the Bible [come] alive,” Jones said.

David Hadlock, founder of Bountiful Travel, led the trip. Unlike Jones and his father who went to Israel for the first time, Hadlock has already toured Israel about twenty times. He explained that he hosts these tours for other people’s benefit.

“I make the logistical arrangements for the tour and I also do the scriptural teaching about the tour while I’m with the group on site,” Hadlock said.

Jones’ excitement for the trip impressed Hadlock, who mostly tours with adults. He believed that most teens may not appreciate the Israel tour because of its mature nature.

“This kind of tour is all about being educated and uplifted spiritually. It speaks to [Jones’] character that this is something he would choose to do,” Hadlock said.

Jones explained how after landing in one of Israel’s major industrial cities, Tel Aviv, he and his father walked around the city and visited the city’s Mediterranean beachfront. After that, they traveled to Joppa, a historical Biblical site and a suburb of Tel Aviv. Jones specifically appreciated witnessing the places he has read about in the Bible. To him, this real-life application brought even more value to his Bible readings.

In addition to Joppa, Jones and his father visited countless other towns and monuments including Caesarea, Mount Carmel, Ein Gev, Jordan River, Mount Hermon, Caesarea Philippi, Mount of Beatitudes, Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Mount Tabor, Har Megiddo, Nazareth, Beit She’an, Masada, Western Wall, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, and Garden Tomb. Jones enjoyed visiting the Pools of Bethesda the most. The Pools of Bethesda includes around one square mile of well-preserved excavated Roman ruins.

Jones depicted an impactful part of the trip that took place just outside the city of Jericho near Israel’s west border.

“The bus had stopped, and we were taking pictures. There [were] little kids [who] came up to us trying to sell us beads and all sorts of things. [I presume] their father was with them, standing back as they [tried] to sell us these things, and it was really sad because they all [wore] grubby clothing and stuff like that. So it just made me very grateful for what we have here in the United States,” Jones said.

Jones recalled a unique cultural experience when he and the other tour members ate at the home of their tour bus driver.

“Our [tour bus] driver, [who was Palestinian], took us to his house, and his wife fed us dinner. That was probably one of the coolest cultural things,” Jones said.

Darryl narrated an impactful interaction he had with a woman near their hotel. He described how the experience gave him a better understanding of the tension in Israel that has existed for years.

“It was early in the morning and other than the multitude of armed police, there was almost no one around, so I asked a [woman] nearby if she would take [Jones and my] picture.  In handing her my camera, my hand brushed her hand, and immediately two different security guards [came] walking across the courtyard from different directions yelling instructions to me. Apparently even casual contact [was] strictly forbidden.  An argument ensued between the two policemen that wasn’t settled until the woman intervened on my behalf and seemed to indicate that I hadn’t done anything wrong or at least didn’t mean to.  The exchange helped me grasp, probably for the first time in my life, the level of tension that is part of everyday life in Israel, where so many people have claim to so much, with so little proof,” Darryl said.

Darryl explained his satisfaction with the trip and what it taught him.

“My expectations of being able to travel around the Holy Land and gain additional insight into the land that has so frequently played a pivotal role in world history was met in spades,” Darryl said.

As Jones observed peoples’ different clothing on the Temple Mount, he appreciated ethnic diversity; the Israel trip broadened his knowledge about his faith and other faiths. After witnessing various cultures and religions, Jones and his father returned home, changed by their memorable experiences.