My name is Jaclyn McNeal and I'm currently a senior at Michigan State University. I'll be graduating in May with a degree in journalism and documentary studies. I'm from the small town of Greenville, Michigan where I grew up with parents and two younger brothers who love the Lord.
I came to college living for myself in every way. I was a business major with dreams of moving to Chicago, starting my own business and finding security in success, money and the world. It was the beginning of my second semester that God reached my heart and lovingly (and painfully) stripped me of everything I thought to be true and important in my life. It was in this broken place that I surrendered my life to Him, truly understanding that my life is not my own and my purpose in this world is not to make much of me, but to make much of Him. Since then God has been radically transforming my life, including giving me a heart for the nations. It was a trip to Haiti the summer after my freshman year of college that sealed the deal… I knew I was created for something far beyond what my mind could conceive and far beyond the comforts of living in the U.S. but for the time being I was (begrudgingly) in school praying that the Lord would settle my heart until the time was right.
I heard about The World Race a couple of years ago through friends in Campus Crusade, the organization I was involved in during college that played a huge role in my coming to the Lord. I remember it sparking interest, but never imagining myself actually doing it. It seemed far off and for people who knew God way better than I did. Fast forward to October 2011 and I see a link of Facebook for The World Race and next thing I know I've started an application and e-mailed my Dad to let him know I figured out what I would be doing after college. But life and people and distractions got in the way and the application was set aside for a couple of months, although I was constantly fighting to push thoughts about the trip in the back of my mind, attempting to convince myself that it wasn't the right thing even though my heart was telling me differently. Over Christmas break of this year I couldn't ignore the burden God was placing on my heart to finish the application. Truthfully, I finished it only out of obedience… Yes, it was something I wanted to do, longed to do actually… But the reality was that I knew if I finished the application that I would go… God had confirmed that in my heart long before I voiced it or even admitted it to myself and I didn't feel ready for that.
But praise God, He drastically changed my heart in the weeks leading up to my decision to go! An excitement for this trip, for the Lord and for people I haven't even met yet absolutely consumed me and I finally felt with my being what God had been telling me for quite some time.
So here I am… A journalism student, a documentarian, a photographer, a writer, a sister, a daughter, a child of God, a wanderer, a friend, a shower-singer, a planner, a thinker, a feeler, a traveler, horrible cook, drive-too-fast, impatient sinner saved by grace through Christ preparing to walk away from what society deems normal and enter into The World Race. And I couldn't be more excited for everything God has in store!
