By Morgan Mizell

NATCHEZ — Do you have a bucket List? Erin Hicks does and she was able to mark off the No. 1 thing on her list this summer at the age of 21.

Hicks, along with nearly 30 other people from Mississippi and Texas, were able to travel to Israel and experience many of the places described in the Bible.

“I am an avid believer that everyone should have a bucket list,” Hicks said. “Life is short, and if you have the opportunity to do things, you should.”

Hicks said the trip has been the No. 1 spot on her bucket list since high school but she never imagined she would be able to check it off of her list so soon.

“I wanted to walk where Jesus walked,” Hicks said. “That is the reason I wanted to travel to Israel.”

The 10-day trip was led by Immanuel Tours, a Christian tour group in Israel. The group consisted of members of First Baptist Church in Natchez; Woodville Baptist Church; and Fellowship Baptist Church in Morgans Point Resort, Texas.

“I saw so many things and took in so much information,” Hicks said. “The Bible came to life right before my eyes.”

The trip began in Tel Aviv and continued through many places specifically mentioned in the Bible. The first night the group stayed in Netanya. They then began travels through Caesarea Maritima which was built by King Herod the Great. It was here at the Roman theatre that the apostle Paul gave his testimony.

They then visited Mount Carmel, Nazareth and Galilee.

“While we were in Galilee, we visited Capernaum,” Hicks said. “It was there that Jesus performed most of the miracles of his lifetime. Then we visited the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount.”

It was during her time in Galilee when Hicks experienced two of the most special parts of her trip.

“We got to go out on the Sea of Galilee in a boat and have a time of worship,” Hicks said. “The other amazing thing was being able to be baptized in the Jordan River, which is the same place Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.”

Other places Hicks and the group visited were the Dead Sea, Tel Dan, Masada, Bet She’an, Shiloh and Wadi Qumran, which is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

The trip concluded with several days in Jerusalem which is known as the Holy City.

“We visited the ‘Upper Room,’ where the Lord’s Supper took place,” Hicks said. “We also traveled the road to Calvary called the Via Delarosa and got the chance to walk inside the Garden Tomb where Jesus was buried.”

Hicks said she also enjoyed the opportunity to pray at the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, and the Garden Gethsemane.

No particular part of the trip was any more important to Hicks than another, and she could not really pinpoint a “favorite” moment, she said.

“When you go on a trip like this the whole thing is your favorite,” Hicks said. “But, when I was in the city of Shiloh, I sat on a rock that was among the rubble that had been dug up where the old tabernacle stood. It was the place Hannah prayed for a son. As I prayed in that spot, a unexplainable feeling of peace rushed over my body, and I have no doubt the Lord was with me.”

Despite the news of trouble overseas, Hicks said she did not fear for her safety during her trip.

“I felt safer there than I do in places in the United States,” Hicks said. “We had the best tour guide you can find in Israel.”

Hicks said if she ever gets the chance to go to Israel again, she will go in a heartbeat.

“After this trip, I will never read the Bible the same again,” Hicks said. “It not only brought the scripture to life before me, but it gave me a deeper desire to study it more and more.”

Hicks said a special part of her journey was being in the company of two special women in her church, Dianne Jordan and Lynn Marchbanks.

“I cannot imagine going on the trip without these two ladies,” Hicks said. “One of the best parts of the trip was being able to sit down with them each night and discuss our day with each other.”

Hicks said she would be glad to talk to anyone who is interested in going on a trip like this.

“I will do all I can to make sure anyone who wants to go gets in touch with the right people,” Hicks said. “This was by far the best trip of my life, and thus far it is the greatest experience of my life. I am very thankful and blessed that I was able to go.”

Erin is the daughter of Courtney and John E. Hicks III and a resident of Natchez.