110. Become more savvy about Countries

HOW TO BECOME MORE SAVVY ABOUT COUNTRIES

Resources

Here are some ways to help you get up-to-speed with both countries and religions.

1. Get some resources.

• A copy of Operation World
• A world map. 
• A notebook

Both the map and the book come in different formats. You can get details from Operation World

If you prefer a different map, or even a globe, make sure you have a political map that clearly shows country names and boundaries.

2. Listen for country names. 

Keep an ear open when you watch the international news. Look out for travel posters or magazine ads. Talk to friends who have traveled a lot. Jot down the country names.

3.Pinpoint that country. 

Let's say you're looking for Singapore. Spend a few minutes searching your map. If you’re stuck, go to Google Maps. . Type in the country name (Singapore) and you’ll see the map. In this case, Singapore is a very small country, so zoom out and you'll see that it's at the tip of the Malaysian peninsula. Now go back to your own map and find it. After a while you will get a feel for the names so you know what continent they're on.

4. Study a list of country names.

There are 257 so-called countries in the world. Only about 191 are officially recognized, but for the purposes of missions, we’re interested in all of them. You can look at a list by going to Countries of the World. If you have a copy of Operation World,you can find a list under Contents on page xiii. You’ll probably see some names you have never heard of. Others, like Fiji, will sound like tourist destinations. Don’t be misled. Missionaries in Fiji tell us that tourists never come to the area where they work with Hindus.

5. Look at the “10/40 Window.” 

This area contains great poverty and low quality of life, combined with lack of access to Christian resources. 

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