“Growing up, Olivet Nazarene University was a pillar in my family’s culture,” says Kyle McDonald ’08. “My dad pastored a small Nazarene church in Indiana for 35 years. I accepted Christ when I was young. During my senior year at ONU, I began to wrestle with God, deeply experiencing His nearness and goodness.”
Several members of Kyle’s family graduated from ONU, including: Dorothy (Wilson) Layman ’44, his grandmother; Mary (Wilson) Goodwin ’43 and Helen (Wilson) Fleck ’48, his great aunts; Greg McDonald ’87, his uncle; Dan McDonald ’82, his dad; and Cyndi (Layman) McDonald ’81, his mom.
As an ONU senior, while he was broken from unrealized dreams, Kyle connected with Dr. Kent and Beth Olney. He met Beth while serving as a mentor during freshman orientation, and she introduced him to Dr. Olney. Soon, Dr. Olney began a mentoring relationship with Kyle.
“The Olneys and Dr. Brian Allen loved me and pointed me to Christ,” Kyle says. “I was also heavily influenced by classes with Dr. Mark Quanstrom and Chaplain Mark Holcomb during my senior year.”
“Kyle was a very engaged and inquisitive student,” Dr. Olney says. “He wanted his faith to inform what he was learning in the classroom. He asked penetrating questions about how God might be at work in whatever we were studying.”
Turning points transform a life
Fall Revival 2007 at ONU, led by Dr. Gary Henecke, came at a time in Kyle’s life when he was open to what the Holy Spirit wanted to teach him. He began taking long, late night prayer walks around the campus, crying out to the Lord and trying to understand what God was doing in his life while also praising God.
As Kyle was preparing for graduation and delivering a speech at the Baccalaureate ceremony for his class in May 2008, Dr. Olney recommended he apply for the Focus on the Family Leadership Institute in Colorado Springs. He was accepted and spent the summer learning what it means to think and live consistent with a Christian worldview.
He was also mentored by two staff members with prior careers in the U.S. Air Force. They planted a providential seed of service in the Air Force. God cultivated that seed in Kyle’s life over the next year.
In 2009, after a disappointing internship experience in Atlanta, Kyle accepted a position at ONU as the resident director for Chapman Hall. He came back home to ONU and worked alongside his brother, Dee ’05, and sister-in-law, Amanda (Ludlow) McDonald ’06, while his sister Katie (McDonald) Harrell ’11 was also finishing her degree.
“I know God brought me back to ONU because I needed to be in that environment,” Kyle says. “I was ecstatic to attend chapel again. I humbly pursued wise counsel from Dr. Olney and Dr. Allen while also mentoring resident assistants at Chapman. It’s the most fun job I’ve ever had.”
At the recommendation of Dr. Allen, Kyle spent that summer working at Shepherd Community Center in Indianapolis. The seed of military service — planted in Colorado — also took root and began to grow. He officially enlisted in Chicago, went through basic training in San Antonio, and returned to Colorado Springs as his first duty station.
“In about two years, I moved 12 times,” Kyle recalls. “Along the way, I did a lot of wrestling with God. The Spirit was overwhelmingly faithful to express God’s goodness and provision in my life, particularly through ONU.” 
Finding and following God’s way
While stationed in Colorado Springs, Kyle met and married Jessica Naramore, a middle school music teacher. Their wedding took place at the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel. Married more than 10 years, they now have four young children. Their Air Force journey includes four duty station changes and one deployment.
“Kyle is a competent and winsome man who treats others with respect,” Dr. Olney says. “He balances discipline and humor, which is all too rare. The world needs more people like Kyle and Jessica. Their commitment, faith and leadership combine to make a significant contribution to their family and community.”
Last year, Kyle promoted to the rank of Major in the Air Force and is currently assigned to Defense Health Agency Headquarters — an agency established in 2013 under the Department of Defense and composed of 130,00 personnel serving 9.5 million beneficiaries and supporting 700-plus hospitals and clinics in the Military Health System. He serves as the Programming Integration Branch Chief based just west of Washington, DC, working with civilians, contractors and active-duty military personnel.
“As a business administration major at ONU, I learned to think about business practices and business concepts through the lens of Scripture,” Kyle says. “While textbooks contained the course content, I learned the most through relationships at ONU.”
In Washington, DC, Kyle and Jessica reconnected with ONU alumni who were already living there, including Matt ’09 and Laura (Maiolo) Ryba ’09. The Rybas pastor a Nazarene church less than a mile from the McDonald home.
Kyle’s greatest successes involve finding ways to share the Gospel in his professional and personal life. “Whether on the softball field or in the workplace, God gives me countless opportunities to reflect the light of Christ in the midst of darkness,” he says. Kyle transitioned his love of sport from playing baseball at ONU to playing softball in the Air Force, winning numerous softball championships, including a 2024 Military World championship.
“In the military softball community and in the Air Force, I encounter many people living like sheep without a shepherd,” Kyle says. “I get to point people to Christ as the One who can truly satisfy their longings, forgive their sin and reconcile them back to God. God has granted me a very different mission field than my dad had as a pastor.”
For more information about Olivet Nazarene University and to begin your application, visit olivet.edu.
