by Sis. Rose Minas

     Her email address aptly describes her “ This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ” Her beauty radiates from within. Her eyes sparkle (at times teary) and her dimples appear as she relates her story of love for her family, her sacrifices in the pursuit her dream, and her faithful and joyful service to the mission.

     More than the outside appearance, Sis. Camille has a beautiful, unselfish heart.

Childhood years

 

She is always reminded by 1 Corinthians 10:31: “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

 

     Sis. Camille was born on June 4, 1988 to Maritess Tolentino and Edgardo Balite. Her mom and dad were natives of Ilocos Sur and Iloilo, respectively. They met in Manila and eventually got married. Their union produced four daughters and a son, Sis. Camille was the third child with a “morena” skin tone that is why she is called a “black beauty.”

     In her younger days, Sis. Camille projected a strong character and boyish in some ways, but jolly. She held on to the saying “walang maapi, kung walang magpapa-api.” Thus, she became assertive, resourceful and determined to pursue something she wanted to have or become.

     Sis. Camille was active in her school. She was a member of “Teatro,” a group of student-artists who performed interpretative dance at Paranaque National High School.

     She has a passion for the arts.

A test of character

     Life for Sis. Camille was a life of bounty. What she wanted, she got. That's how generous her father was to them. He didn't want his children to experience the paucity he once had.

     But they were not meant to be forever prosperous. Her father lost his job after a labor strike at LRT. The management decided to replace all employees leaving his father out of job. Yet, his father did not tell them the truth until they had no more money to spend. It came to a point that they have to literally beg for a plate of rice for a meal from their relatives.

     Sis. Camille became stronger in character than before. She thought of writing notes for her classmates for a fee. This augmented her allowance and helped her finish high school. She was, likewise, grateful to her friends who were always there for her to lend a helping hand.

     After high school, she decided to work, setting aside her ambition of a college education for the time being to help her family. Their youngest was still in school, so her unselfishness prevailed.

A test of faith

     There’s a saying “when it rains, it pours.” That way came trials came to the family of Sis. Camille.

     Her eldest sister couldn’t take what happened to their father. She rebelled against their parents and spent many nights away from the family until she got pregnant. This was a big blow to her parents.

     Her sister decided not to marry and preferred to become a single mom instead. She got a job and now helps provide for their family.

     A younger sister was diagnosed with cerebral tuberculoma, a rare disease that affects the brain. She was given one month to live and a brain operation was needed. The success of operation was, however, slim.

     By faith, they prayed to God and the family decided not to let her undergo the operation. Her parents, being members of the Couples for Christ, and her grandparents, member of El Shaddai, clung to their faith. By God’s grace, she was healed!

     Next, her father was diagnosed with nasal cancer, stage four. He underwent chemotherapy.

     Sis. Peng Palmera, who was the head servant of FDMC-Pasay that time, was invited to pray over Sis. Camille’s father. Again, by God’s grace, he was healed.
 
A grateful heart

     Sis. Camille is forever grateful to God for all the blessings she and her family have received. Despite the trials that the family has gone through, they came out victorious.

     Her brother has found a job and has helped augment the family income. He was the first to attend the Catholic Life in Spirit Seminar (CLSS) Batch 3 of FDMC-Pasay. He eventually made her attend the CLSS Batch 5 after so much prodding.

     Since her CLSS on March 2006, Sis. Camille has matured to be a selfless worker. She is now a member of the youth dance ministry, a moderator, a prayer leader and someday hopes to be a speaker in the mold of Sis. Dina Balicanot, one of the community’s Divine Preachers.

     She is also grateful to Sis. Jenny Santos, the current head servant of FDMC-Pasay, who continuously shepherds her flock with dedication and faithful service.

     Now that their youngest will graduate from high school, it’s Sis. Camille’s turn to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher. She will enroll this coming school year to study Early Childhood Education.

     She is always reminded by 1 Corinthians 10:31: “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

     Her community service is a reflection of this verse as she gives her all to the glory of God.
 
Winner

     Never in her life did she dream of becoming a beauty queen. In obedience to her head servant, she represented the community at the Our Lady of Airways Parish beauty pageant last year.

     She won as Miss Teen Valentine/Miss OLAP 2007! Indeed, she is beautiful, inside and out!
 
(Sis. Camille from FDMC-Pasay is Face of Faith for April 2008)