"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

- Matthew 6:28-29

A Hispanic couple wearing Salvation Army uniforms consisting of a white button down shirt and navy suit jacket standing in front of a fabric studio background. The woman, on left, has short dark hair. The man, on right, has white hair and glasses.100%
Captains Milly Lopez-Pagan and Captain Pedro Pagan 

Native Puerto Ricans, Captains Milly Lopez-Pagan and Pedro Pagan are not new to God’s calling; he has been calling for thirty-seven years.

As a young adult, Milly felt drawn to missionary work, but as a caregiver to her mom and three siblings, she had too many responsibilities. So instead, she attended college and became a bi-lingual teacher. Pedro felt the calling too. He wanted to attend a seminary in Puerto Rico, after high school, but his pastor would not endorse him because of his age.

Several years later, Milly met a delegate from the Chicago Public School System looking for bilingual teachers in Puerto Rico who would move to Chicago. Milly and Pedro agreed it would be an excellent opportunity to relocate to Chicago, but only temporarily. The decision resulted in a thirty-year commitment. Milly retired from the Chicago Public School System in 2014.

Settled in the LaVillita neighborhood, Milly and Pedro became soldiers at the LaVillita corps in 2005. Together, they taught children, counseled couples, and acted as youth coordinators. They loved serving their community.

While on retreat at Wonderland Camp with their corps, Milly and Pedro heard God calling again. This time they surrendered — 100 percent. They became envoys and later auxiliary captains at the Cicero (Templo Laramie) and Chicago (Lawn), IL Corps while simultaneously taking classes for officership. In 2021, they were commissioned as Salvation Army captains.

As corps officers at Chicago (Lawn), Captains Milly and Pedro serve and celebrate a diverse community. They provide many activities for the family-oriented congregation that honors each other with love, food, and prayer. Together they serve each other and the neighborhood.

Paper Flowers

Handcrafted by Eugenia Ramirez, a soldier from the Chicago (Lawn), IL Corps, these paper flowers were strung to hang on walls and placed on the tables during celebratory events at the corps.

Gift of Chicago (Lawn), IL Corps

An arrangement of large and small paper flowers made from colored printer paper. They look like roses and are in white, yellow, blue, pink, green, purple and red.
A middle aged Hispanic woman sits in a side chair in an office with cinder block walls. She has greying short dark hair with bangs and wears a red short sleeved shirt and black pants.Eugenia Ramirez
Soldier

Eugenia Ramirez is a shepherd. A native of Mexico, she watches over and guides her family and community. A woman of solid Christian faith, she rejoices that twelve of her family members attend the Chicago (Lawn), IL Corps with her. Each one is active in the corps and exclaims, “I’m in!”

Eugenia has a gift for decorating and cooking. For every holiday or special event held at the corps, she makes paper flowers of all colors and sizes to beautify the church. She also prepares tinga de pollo (chicken tinga), an authentic Mexican dish, and serves it to the community and the Salvation Army family.

Food Box
2021 

The Salvation Army supplies fresh produce, canned goods, and frozen foods in their food pantries and food boxes to be delivered or picked up by those in need.

The food box seen here was one of many given to people living within the Chicago (Lawn), IL Corps service area. During the COVID-19 pandemic, residents could not choose from pantry items offered at the corps, so the corps put together food boxes like this one to provide for those in need.

Gift of Chicago (Lawn), IL Corps

An assortment of shelf stable food items that were distributed to those in need in a Salvation Army food box