Welcome once again to 7 Quick Takes, Sistas style! Here we give you a chance to get to know the ink slingers behind the blog posts. Today I’m pleased to share more about our wonderful Sista Michelle. Michelle is a wife and mom, a faithful Catholic, she loves to cook, volunteers in her parish, and so much more. Keep reading to learn more about our wonderful sista.

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Are you a cradle Catholic who never strayed, a poorly catechized Catholic and/or lukewarm Catholic who came to understand the faith later in life, a revert, or a convert?

I am a cradle Catholic who went to Mass every Sunday with my family and who went to Catholic grade school, high school, and a Catholic college for one year before transferring to another college. Even given those experiences I was poorly catechized. As I got into my 20s and began having children I felt the need to connect with my faith. I wanted my children to be raised in the faith but I also am a very logical person and wanted to know why I believed what I believed and I needed to make sure all I was taught was true. When we first got the internet at home in 1999 I had an insatiable appetite to learn. I studied not only my faith but many other Christian faiths as well as many other faiths. Ultimately what I learned and discovered led me right to the Catholic Church. I still have an insatiable appetite for learning about my faith. I can’t seem to get enough! I know that there is so much to learn that I will never be done. I will always ask questions and always search for the answers. Thankfully though I know that I am in the right place to find those answers … Christ’s Church.

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What prayer or prayers do you turn to when you start writing or when you need guidance during the writing process?

Before I write, whether it is for the Catholic Sistas website or a letter to a friend, I ask God to send me the Holy Spirit to help guide my words. I always want whatever I am writing to be written with love, kindness, thoughtfulness, and holiness. The times I fail are always the times I don’t ask God for the guidance of His Spirit.

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What volunteer activities are you involved in?

I volunteer with the Youth Group at our church. I am an adult leader there, helping with the weekly meetings, going on retreats with the teens, and I have been fortunate to go on mission trips with them as well. I also lead the Right to Life group in our parish. I am the liaison between our local pregnancy resource center and our church. I try my hardest to help wherever I can, especially when it comes to the poor,the homeless, and the needy.

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If you like to cook, what are some of your favorite recipes to make?

I love to cook! At our house we try a variety of dishes, including many ethnic dishes. I can’t say that there is any one particular dish that I like to cook. Mainly I like to please my family and introduce them to new foods. We have tried Indian, Cuban, Mexican, Italian, German, Irish, Somalian, Jewish, Asian, and so many more! Of course, we also have some basics we fall back on, but overall we love to experiment with different foods.

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How many kids do you have?

I have 10 children and am expecting my 11th child. The ages of our children are 19, 17, 14, 12, 9, 7, 6, 4, 3, 9 months, and 4 months in utero. We have 12 babies in heaven. While being open to life has not always been easy, it’s always been the best decision we have ever made for our family.

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How did you meet your husband?

I met my husband when we were sophomores in high school and we both worked at McDonald’s for our first jobs. He was the biscuit boy and I was the salad girl. He asked me out one night and we’ve been Mike and Michelle ever since. After our first date I told my sister that one day I was going to marry him. Less than a year out of high school I did.

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What do you find most attractive about your husband?

Besides seeing the love in his eyes for me and our children I find his smile and his humor the most attractive. He always makes me laugh and we have so many inside jokes and memories that keep us giggling all the time. Our children think it’s funny and weird that we can read each other’s minds and always know what the other is thinking. I also find my husband’s sense of honor very attractive. He is an amazing police officer who is highly respected by those he works with and those who come to know him. He strives to do the right thing to not only bring honor to his profession but to his family as well.

Our friend Jen Fulwiler at Conversion Diary, usual host of 7 Quick Takes, was recently admitted to the hospital and is in need of our prayers. We just got word that she has been discharged and is home. But as with any serious condition, she is still in need of prayers. Please pray for her, her unborn child, and for the rest of her pregnancy to go well. Prayers also for her doctors as they monitor her condition.

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host — by the Divine power of God — cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits, who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

This week 7 Quick Takes is being hosted by Hallie Lord at Moxie Wife. Go on over to her blog, say hi, and check out a plethora of 7 Quick Takes posts.