SAO PAULO, BRAZIL

Brother Cavalheiro, 40, a member of Industrial Ward, Sao Paulo Brazil Ipiranga Stake, has a room in his home filled with old books, photos, films and magazines — all produced by or about the Church.

He has more than 60 copies of the Book of Mormon, of different sizes, with different colors of covers and in different languages. Many of them were donated by friends and missionaries; some were acquired in more than 40 bookstores in Sao Paulo. One of the "rarities" of which he is most pleased is one of the first copies of the Book of Mormon published in Portuguese in Brazil. Brother Perez spoke of Book of Mormon prophets, and the emphasis to "conserve the records."

He adds that he had looked for a long time for this rare copy of the Book of Mormon. A friend, who had one of the copies, agreed to give it to him in exchange for another copy of the Book of Mormon that Brother Perez had — one of his favorites that had in white overlay a depiction of Jesus Christ. "I accepted, brokenhearted, but a little time later, one of my former bishops gave me a copy of the same edition. So the one I lost was replaced."

Brother Cavalheiro's collection — his "enchanted world" — is open to anyone who wants to visit. The visitor can find, among others items, "used relics," such as some shovels used in the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Campinas and Recife temples and the Missionary Training Center in Brazil. There are old filmstrips, 16mm films, and manuals no longer in use.

He has the first Relief Society Magazine from the time the first district president of the organization was called in Brazil, in May of 1959. Sister Geraldine Hamblin Bangerter — wife of Elder Wm. Grant Bangerter and mother of Sister Julie B. Beck, who is today general president of the Relief Society — reproduced by typewriter inspired speeches of the leadership of the Church, the visiting teaching messages, the names of the presidencies of the Relief Society units and recipes as well as minutes related to the meetings.

Photo by Ana Claudia Soli

Saulo Enrique Perez Cavalheiro studies 16mm film, part of his personal accumulation of items related to the Church. He treasures his collection.

He has kept special invitations, such as for the setting of the cornerstone and for the dedication of the Sao Paulo Brazil Temple, over which President Spencer W. Kimball presided. "This is one of the things that I conserve with more affection, because I was there at the setting of the cornerstone of the temple," he happily recalled.

Brother Cavalheiro also was the first in his home to be baptized. He, his mother and four brothers came to know about the Church by means of his mother's brother, who was member. His mother wasn't baptized, but she always encouraged him and his brothers to go to Church and to pay their tithing.

He said he got started on his collection when a Primary teacher gave him a stamp with an illustration depicting Jesus Christ with little children. "From then on, everything that I earned or received as material from the Church, I kept with much affection."

Without question, everything Brother Cavalheiro has done with his collection is made possible by the unconditional support of its wife, Sandra Sangali, and their two children, Leandro and Enrique, who share the space in their house with many objects and very much paper.

More than just a collection, the "enchanted" place of Saulo Enrique Perez Cavalheiro, his own little museum, is a true lesson of the history of the Church, especially of the Church in Brazil. It is known by many for its books, manuals and films, thanks to the real faith and the diligence of a family in the true Gospel of Christ.