The year was 1977, and Ilza Cunha was just 14 years old. It was during this period that the educator got to know the Adventist message. Four years later, she graduated from a teaching program, which, at the time, made her able to teach early childhood education, even without a college degree.
“I stayed away from school for over 30 years until I decided to take the entrance exam, where I applied for a place. At the time, there were ten people for a vacancy, and this was my first challenge”, she recalls.
However, it was not to teach that Ilza attributes the success of the first entrance exam, as well as the other three competitions she would pass throughout her life. According to her, the result was in the daily and regular study of the Bible study guide produced by the Adventist Church: the Sabbath School Lesson.
Ilza even read, but she couldn't interpret or understand what she was reading, which characterized her as functionally illiterate. In Brazil, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), 29 percent of the population fits into this reality, which represents about 38 million Brazilians, a number larger than the population of almost all Brazilian states, except São Paulo.
Since the contests required textual reading and interpretation, the knowledge gained from the daily study of the lesson was a major factor for her to grow professionally.
Study Method
“The first thing I do is open the lesson and read the theme. I try to understand why the author put that theme in the lesson. If a word appears in it that I don't know, then I go to a dictionary”, reveals the retiree.
Every morning, Ilza dedicates quality time to delve into the topic being proposed; and it was precisely because of the didactics of the lesson that propose questions and answers, accompanied by biblical verses that help in the interpretation of the guide, that Ilza learned to understand the texts.
The leader of the Sabbath School for the central-north region of Espírito Santo, Pastor Lucas Viana, corroborates the method adopted by Ilza. “The lesson is didactically designed to aid in biblical understanding. People who dedicate a little time every day will have the ability to understand the Word of God, and why not become fit for secular activities.”
“It's not just that. The lesson also helped a lot to develop this issue of orality. It helped me to better understand the grammatical part”, Ilza details.
Ilza guarantees the annual subscription to the Sabbath School Lesson for her and the entire family through the Maná Project. The educator also prepares a basket with a Bible, daily meditation, and study guides as a gift for new members of the community where she congregates, in the municipality of Nova Venécia, Espírito Santo. “Today, the lesson increases my knowledge and adds to my vocabulary. I love the Sabbath School Lesson”, she points out.
Maná Project
The Maná Project is a united effort by the Seventh-day Adventist Church to reach the greatest number of people of all ages with the Sabbath School Lesson and motivate them in the daily study of God's Word. The annual subscription campaign for 2022 in the Central and Northern regions of Espírito Santo is already underway until August 22 through WhatsApp(15) 98100-5073.
This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site