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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - The itinerary of David Humphrey's recent trip reads like a who's who and where's where of the Bible.

Humphrey, a resident of Fort Simpson, visited many of the places that feature prominently in the Bible while on a trip to Israel. The tour of the Holy Land fulfilled a life-long goal for Humphrey.

David Humphrey of Fort Simpson, centre, visits the Temple Mount in Jerusalem while on a trip around Israel. - photo courtesy of David Humphrey

"It was just something I always wanted to do," he said.

"I've always wanted to go to Israel to better understand Christianity through the locations we would go to."

Humphrey was part of a group of 31 people from Briercrest College and Seminary in Caronport, Sask., who travelled together from April 28 to May 10.

The trip was a study tour, an accredited course at the college.

Humphrey, who lives in Fort Simpson, is a distance learning student working towards a master of arts in leadership and management.

While in Israel, the tour group followed a demanding schedule, boarding a bus at 8 a.m. every morning and touring until 7 p.m., said Humphrey.

"We walked at least 10 km every day," he said.

"It was a lot of information and a lot of history."

The itinerary of the group's first day is a case in point.

The students started in Caesarea on the Mediterranean, a city that Herod the Great built and Pontius Pilot later ruled.

The next stop was Mount Carmel, where Elijah proved the prophets of Baal were worshiping a false god, before the group took in Megiddo where Armageddon is supposed to take place.

The day ended with a stop in Nazareth where Jesus grew up.

In Jesus' time there were only 12 families in the village but it's a much larger centre now, said Humphrey.

"It's just wall to wall houses," he said.

For Humphrey some of the most memorial stops included Capernium where Jesus did most of his teaching and Masaada, a fortress where 960 Jews held out for three months against a Roman siege before committing suicide rather than being captured.

Jerusalem was also an emotional place, Humphrey said. The group stopped at the Temple Mount and the Garden of Gethsemane as well as the place that's mostly widely accepted to be Calvary and the location of Jesus' tomb.

The trip also had its lighter moments. Humphrey swam in the Dead Sea, went on a camel ride and spent a night in a Bedouin tent.

"We took a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee too but we didn't try to get out and walk or anything," said Humphrey with a smile.

Reflecting on the trip, Humphrey said it gave him a better understanding of the culture the Bible was written in.

"It puts into context what the Bible is all about," he said.

The trip also left Humphrey optimistic that peace is possible in the area.

"The desire of a lot of Jews and a lot of Muslims is to live together," he said.

Although the group was within five miles of Gaza and travelled in the West Bank the military's presence was only visible at checkpoints and in the armed guards that accompany all school groups, Humphrey said.

"The people who live there understand the spiritual importance of where they are, he said.