NATCHEZ — Alex Allain recently returned from the trip of a lifetime, and he has two of his friends and a little luck to thank for it.

Allain, a senior Religious Studies major at Millsaps College in Jackson, spent five weeks working in and touring the West Bank region in the Middle East.

The trip, funded by The David McNair Fund for Christian Missions at Millsaps, is awarded to students through an application process, but Allain had not considered applying — not until he was asked by friends, Chris Awwad and Brian Mitchell.

Allain didn’t think the group would be awarded the trip since they requested to visit the West Bank region.

“I didn’t think we would ever be cleard to go,” Allain said. “Luckily we were able to get cleared because of Chris’s family connections. His father was born in the West Bank.”

When he heard that the group had been awarded the trip they desired, Allain said he was “numbed by disbelief.”

While Allain was “overjoyed” when he found out he was embarking on such a journey, his mother, Lisa Allain wasn’t as comfortable.

Allain said she was so nervous about the trip that she wouldn’t discuss it with him.

“I think by the time I left I was on every prayer list in town,” Alex Allain said. “And I’m thankful for all the prayers.”

Despite his mother’s concerns, Allain said he felt safe during his entire trip with the exception of one incident during his first night.

“The first night there, we heard machine gun fire early in the morning,” Allain said. “We found out later that day that the Israeli police had arrested 13 people for alleged connections with Hamaas.”

Luckily for Lisa, Alex was able to e-mail her almost weekly with updates and to ensure her that he was safe.

He also left her a map so she could see where he was during his trip.

The first three weeks of the trip were spent in a Palestinian village of Taybeh where, Allain worked in a camp teaching children English and at a nursing home facility helping with garden upkeep.

Taybeh is a small village located north of Jerusalem.

Allain’s group taught children ranging in age from 7 to 15 English vocabulary and conversational English through games and word association. His work at the nursing home consisted mostly of manual labor like weeding flowerbeds.

Allain said that although the work he was doing in the camp and at the nursing home was needed and appreciated, his personal award wasn’t quantifiable.

“Everything we do doesn’t have to have a direct result or end,” Allain said. “For me, what I learned, was that it is more about connecting with people and changing people that way.

“Service is about relationships.”

Relationships were easy to form because of the kind nature of the people he met.

“They would make us tea and bring us cookies and sweets,” Allain said. “By the time we left we were so full we were sick. And they were always happy to talk with us.”

For Allain, the trip gave him the chance to immerse himself in a culture steeped in history.

He went to a Catholic wedding, a Greek Orthodox wedding and a Muslim wedding.

Allain got to experience a tradition of the Greek Orthodox where the groom’s family walks through the home of the bride. The group then walks to the wedding ceremony dancing and clapping.

Allain also attended Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic church services.

“It was fascinating,” Allain said. “Even though I couldn’t understand a word that was said.”

While Allain did experience some culture shock during the trip, not everything was as different as you would expect. He said was surprised by the amount of Western influence he encountered.

“One of the families that we went to visit had two little girls and they were both wearing Hannah Montana T-shirts,” Allain said.

He was also happy to see that many people spoke English.

“There were a lot of people that spoke English, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by that,” Allain said. “I met a Frenchman there that told me a joke.

“What do you call a person who can only speak one language? An American.”

Although the trip was mainly about service, the funds awarded did allow for time just spent on cultural experiences.

So after spending three weeks working in Taybeh, Allain, along with Awwab and Mitchell, spent the next two weeks touring.

He went to Jordan, swam in the Red Sea and covered himself in mud from the Dead Sea.

They also visited Petra and stood in front of the treasury from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” just like Harrison Ford did.

Even with the jam packed schedule of work and sightseeing, Allain said his pace of life was still slower than his in the United States.

“Away from the hustle and bustle of my activities and Millsaps I was really able to reflect,” Allain said. “It gave me the chance to reorient myself and get more cultural perspective.”

Knowing that this was a trip many of his friends and family would never be able to take, many souveniers were purchased, but Allain only brought back a couple of trinkets and a T-shirt for himself.

“The trip was the present I gave myself,” Allain said. “The experience and the memories are enough for me.”

Memories captured in hundreds of pictures.