From Test to Testimony (The Story of Mark Jenelle Kho

From Test to Testimony The story of Mark Jenelle Kho

By Blesilda H. Visaya and Rianne Aybil U. Peñaredondo

God never misses His mark. He would test us in so many different ways. These tests may even break us. But He, being God, remains faithful even if we fail Him numerous times. And numerous times did Mark Jenelle L. Kho fail the Lord in the past.

Mark was accustomed to a life of comfort, as he came from a family of medical professionals. They have properties that they rent to other people. This led him to meet his wife, Joycie. Mark was 16 and Joycie was 14 when they fell in love with each other. At 19, Mark became a father to a baby girl who would later on become very instrumental to Mark’s return to God. As Joycie recounts the early years of their marriage, she was very thankful to Mark who stood by her all throughout her pregnancy. She said Mark was brave enough to face the ire of her parents and calm her fears during those times. Mark had no vices and was very dedicated to the family he was starting to build. They were quite fortunate that their families were also there to support them. Mark was able to finish his nursing degree but was not able to pass the board exams. He started working as a medical representative. His earnings were more than enough for his young family. But Mark was not a godly man then. As Joycie puts it, the old Mark would skip going to church on Sundays and would not take time to pray, which is a far cry from who Mark became after God had changed him through a very difficult test.

The difficult test came through a rare illness that befell his daughter. At the age of six, his daughter started to have frequent seizures. This prompted them to take her to hospitals in Davao to undergo a series of tests. There were times when she would have forty seizures in a day and doctors would just be dumbstruck and unable to do and explain anything

to them. That was the time when Joycie saw Mark went into deep prayer. As Mark narrates the whole experience, he tells us that he was deeply moved into

prayer because he could not stand seeing his daughter suffer. He found himself humbling himself before God, asking for God’s healing for his daughter, and making his own promise to let God work in his life. Mark had finally accepted God as his Lord and Savior.

By that time, the doctors were able to diagnose his child with epilepsy and give her the appropriate medical treatment. Mark and Joycie were advised to keep the child under medication for two years. Another test befell their lives when Mark lost his job as a medical representative. But this did not stop him from living a life with God. He would pray with his wife for healing and provision. Their ardent prayer was if the Lord sees that He can use their daughter’s life for His glory, then please make her well. But if He cannot use their daughter in the future, then they will surrender to His will. Today, Mark’s daughter is a 14-year-old student and very much active in school. He and Joycie now have a son who is 8 years old.

Another good thing that happened to Mark when he accepted God was that he started going to church. This led him to people who introduced him to KMBI. Now, Mark is on his sixth year at KMBI and his relationship with God has been solidified even further. He shares that he had struggled in the beginning but he had found confidence in knowing that God will take care of the rest as long as he does his best in his work. He believes now that God had been working in his life. He said he might not have been a nurse as he had planned to be but God made him a spiritual nurse at KMBI. He happily shares that working at KMBI allowed him to be God’s true testament of His goodness. He is able to share God’s Word to his fellow staff and Program Members.

Indeed, God never misses His mark. He will guide you always, satisfy your needs, and strengthen you. We see all these happening in Mark’s life and it can happen to you too, if you let God take control of your life.

Kho is among the winners of the 2018 Story Caravan Staff Edition. He is currently celebrating his 6th year at KMBI.