A Good Word Wednesday
Current Substack Newsletter updated each Wednesday
A Good Word Wednesday
CROSSING #197
August 19, 2026
A little bit of goodness, encouragement and hope in your mailbox today.
What are some ways you can cross cultures and build a relationship with someone different than you? CROSSING. It’s Your Good Word for Your Wednesday.
We are on #8 of my top 10 favorite travel destinations, originally published in my book, Unseen People. As you have read along the past few weeks, we have visited together the Grand Canyon, Arizona; Washington, D.C.; London, England; Rome, Italy; Banff, Alberta, Canada; South Africa; and Bangladesh. After reading today’s journey, finish with the Pro Tip to learn how to be a traveler with a mission in the section, A Final Good Word.
Top Ten Favorite Travel Destination #8: NEW YORK CITY
I had visited New York City twice before when I was in college for a yearbook conference. My memories of NYC included what you would typically think of such as congested Manhattan streets with hordes of busy people crossing the avenues.
Like any good tourist, we visited Times Square, Central Park, and the Statue of Liberty. And in those years, I saw the entire city from the very top of the World Trade Towers. But when I returned almost 30 years later, this is what I remember most about that trip:
Teaching English as a Second Language
and this:
Face painting in a Brooklyn park.
I saw the city of Lady Liberty, Times Square, and Central Park with about twenty teenagers. Thankfully, sightseeing in Manhattan only took one day of our week in New York. Most of the time was spent on subways underneath Queens and Brooklyn on our way to sites where we taught English as a Second Language to women from India and Bangladesh. We ate pizza at Mario’s and painted faces and made balloon animals for children in a Brooklyn city park. At Mario’s Pizzeria, near the location where we stayed, I remember Mario being fascinated that we were from Oklahoma. I am sure he imagined cowboys and Indians, saloons and gunfights on the street. He asked, “Do you ride your horses to work?” I smiled and thought, Well, maybe I would if I owned one. I imagined a horse tied up to a tree at the church building where I worked.
Unseen People: Sharing Light and Life with your Neighbors and the Nations (pp. 126-127). DeAnna Lynn Sanders
We had traveled to The Big Apple to help missionary friends connect with families new to the United States from several South Asian countries. We made friends in the neighborhood where we stayed that week and in their parks, and stores and churches. All the while, showing the love of Jesus while learning to cross cultures as well as crossing city streets. So while visiting Broadway, Central Park and the site of the World Trade Center Memorial was definitely worth seeing, I will forever remember the smile of a young mom understanding new words in English for the first time. And I treasure remembering the faces of children with brightly painted cheeks and holding balloons twisted into dog shapes. I am hopeful that one day we will cross paths again, not on the graffiti-painted platform at a subway stop, but on the shiny, golden streets of heaven.
What barriers are standing in your way to share the love of Christ with someone? What do you need to cross over to get to what God has prepared for you?
Wednesday in the Word
Good Words from God’s Word
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.” – Isaiah 43:2
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthians 5:17
“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.” Revelation 7:9
Good Questions
GOOD Question(s) of the Week: What is one action you can take to cross cultures and build a relationship with someone different from you?
Good Words I Recommend
A Good Song: Wondrous Cross, Phil Wickham
Another Good Song: Hymn of Heaven, Phil Wickham
Another Good Song: These Days, Jeremy Camp
Another Good Song: Lift Up The World, Bethel Music
A Good Book: Unseen People: Sharing Light and Life with your Neighbors and the Nations, DeAnna Lynn Sanders
Another Good Book: Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility, Duane H Elmer
A Final Good Word
God led His chosen people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. But to do that, they had to cross the Red Sea. Can you imagine how scared they were? He did that to bring them freedom, but to also show all people who God truly is. So “that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” Joshua 4:24. He wants us all to know Him, know that He is all-powerful and that He loves us all. That’s my prayer for all of us this week.
Pro Tip: As you travel and meet people along the way, offer encouraging words to them. Unseen people are accustomed to being verbally degraded or ridiculed. Do not be the person who makes them feel that way.
I would love to hear from you anytime. Reply to this post or message me: DeAnna’s email: deannalynnsanders@gmail.com
Thank you for taking your time to read these good words. If you would, please share a good word with someone today. Invite others into our Good Word community.
This publication is free, but your support is always welcome. Consider becoming a paid supporter. Thank you!
Please share A Good Word with your friends and family.
DeAnna’s email: deannalynnsanders@gmail.com
Gratefully yours,
DeAnna
A Good Word Wednesday is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. https://dlscommglobal.substack.com/p/a-good-word-wednesday-151-need
