Perhaps one of the most significant parts of my youth group’s missions trip to Belize last summer was the hour we all spent alone with God each morning. At the beginning of the trip some of the kids weren’t too sure about reading their Bibles and praying for an hour every day, but after 10 days of it, some kids said it was the highlight of the trip.

If you’re considering a missions trip this summer, be sure to make personal time in the Word and in prayer a central part of the trip. In our case, we didn’t give the kids a devotional book or anything — just God’s Word and some private quiet time. But if you would rather give your kids something to use, HCBJ Global has a FREE 30-day devotional ebook on missions called, Be the Voice and Hands of Jesus. It’s very well-done, professionally designed, and follows the traditional format of a verse or two with an explanation, story and application. Here’s a list of the devo titles:

• Day 1 – Jesus Reached Out to the Unexpected
• Day 2 – Jesus Mobilized Others to Reach Out
• Day 3 – Jesus Acknowledged Faith
• Day 4 – Jesus Prayed Before Choosing Partners
• Day 5 – Jesus Touched People with Power
• Day 6 – Jesus Welcomed Interruptions
• Day 7 – Jesus Recognized an Open Heart
• Day 8 – Jesus Didn’t Follow the World’s Priorities
• Day 9 – Jesus Felt Great Compassion
• Day 10 – Jesus’ Hands Looked for the Lost
• Day 11 – Jesus Allowed Affirmation of His Ministry
• Day 12 – Jesus’ Voice Spoke the Truth
• Day 13 – Jesus Accepted Persecution
• Day 14 – Jesus Loved Difficult People
• Day 15 – Jesus Was Confident in His Treasure
• Day 16 – Jesus Counted the Cost
• Day 17 – Jesus Prayed for Unity
• Day 18 – Jesus Demonstrated Authenticity
• Day 19 – Jesus Made Priorities
• Day 20 – Jesus Honored Sacrifice
• Day 21 – Jesus Asked People To Trust Him
• Day 22 – Jesus Engaged the Whole Person
• Day 23 – Jesus Encouraged Commitment
• Day 24 – Jesus Championed the Poor
• Day 25 – Jesus Is the Bread of Life
• Day 26 – Jesus Transformed People
• Day 27 – Jesus Saw Potential
• Day 28 – Jesus Asked for Courage
• Day 29 – Jesus Promised His Presence
• Day 30 – Jesus Did the Impossible

You’ll have to part with some personal information in order to download the ebook, but it’s worth it. You’ll also get:

• 30 Day Household Prayer Guide
• Worship Music (MP3, Sheet Music and Powerpoint Slides)
• A downloadable sheet that helps you to plan your next outreach project
• Voice and Hands Video: A downloadable video that shares about what it means to be the Voice and Hands of Jesus

Get “Voice and Hands of Jesus” devo book and more!

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Join us at 2:00 PM EST this afternoon in our LIVE YM Talk. Our featured guest is Mike Kupferer and he’ll lead us in a discussion about finding the right youth ministry position. See the LIVE YM Talk page for details on how to join the call and/or the live chat.

Posted on May 1, 2009