There is a saying of the eyes affect the heart. From my own experience, I can safely affirm that this saying is true. Every time I study a new country and people group, my heart breaks for them. The more I study about them, the more I grow to love their them as a people. I start wanting to learn their language, learn what their favorite food is, learn what is important to them. The more I study for them, the more I grow a desire to share the One who saved and changed my life with them. The purpose of the Country of the Week is to bring a people group to your attention, so that you would be able to pray for them and hopefully grow a burden for them. We see an example of this when Jesus looked at the multitudes and had compassion on them. He then told us to pray for laborers to reach them. What strikes me is that Jesus also said that as we pray, the Lord of the Harvest will raise up laborers. This means that your prayers are vital to raising up men and women who have a desire to give up their life to follow Jesus.