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Be Not Afraid, Only Believe

This week a worried dad named Jairus and a brave woman who reached for Jesus’s robe both learn that faith in Jesus is stronger than fear. Jesus also calls Twelve Apostles and sends them out to bless people, and He teaches that Heavenly Father notices even a tiny sparrow. Your family will snuggle up for a story, hunt for Apostles’ names, play Sparrow Hide-and-Seek and talk at dinner about fast Sunday on March 7.

  • Week 10
  • 📅 Mar 1–7, 2027
  • 📖 Matthew 9–10; Mark 5; Luke 9
Start with Monday
Read it togetherMatthew 9–10; Mark 5; Luke 9 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualNew Testament 2027, week 10

What your kids learn in class

Stories, verses and games for the week come from each child’s own Primary or youth lesson, so home matches Sunday.

⚡ Fast Sunday this week (Primary)

Daily sparks

Five to ten minutes a day, Monday to Sunday, with everyday things you already have. Grown-ups lead; kids act, play and answer. Where a step says to tap something, that’s in the Gospel Sparks app; on the web, use the “Play along” links.

Monday · 9 min · Cozy story time

Couch Story: Reach for Jesus

🙌 Story time: two people reach for Jesus!Snuggle up.Watch for the robe.Listen for the happy ending!

✋ Grab: a blanket

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 When we reach out to Jesus with faith, He helps us.

  1. Read Mark 5:27–29 together.
  2. Ask: “Why do you think the woman reached out to Jesus?”
  3. Share one way we can reach out to Jesus today.

😄 Everyone reaches up as high as they can. Whoever touches the highest spot gets a cheer!

📖 Read together: Mark 5:22–43 ↗

  1. Grab a blanket and snuggle up on the couch.
  2. Tap Story. Read each scene out loud and look at the pictures.
  3. When the woman touches Jesus’s robe, ask: “Why do you think she reached out?”
  4. When the sad news comes, stop and read Mark 5:36 together.
  5. At the end, ask: “How did Jairus feel now?”
  6. SAY“Both of them reached out to Jesus with faith. He helped them both.”

🎭 Play along: the story scenes (from the Valiant 7–8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • How do you think Jairus felt while he waited?
  • What are ways we can reach out to Jesus today?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one tap to the next scene. At the end, have them stretch and yawn big like the girl waking up.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Ask your older kid what reaching for Jesus looks like for a kid their age. Maybe praying when it’s hard, or reading when they’re busy.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Point out to your teen that Jairus had to wait while Jesus stopped for someone else. In Mark 5:35 the delay seemed to cost everything. Ask: have you ever felt Jesus was helping everyone but you? What does verse 36 say to that feeling?
☕️ For grown-upsIn Mark 5:26, the woman had spent twelve years and all her money on doctors, and she only got worse. She reached anyway. Where have you run out of your own answers, and what would reaching for Him look like there?

Sticker for today: 🧵

Tuesday · 6 min · Verse

Scary or Brave?

🦁 Feel scared? Jump up brave and believe!Hide your face.Jump up brave!Say the verse!

✅ Nothing to prep. Just start!

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Being brave means trusting Jesus even when we feel scared.

  1. Read Mark 5:36 together.
  2. Ask: “What’s something that feels scary to you?”
  3. SAY“We can feel scared and still trust Jesus.”

😄 Everyone hides their face. Then jump up and shout the verse in your bravest voice!

📖 Read together: Mark 5:36 ↗

  1. Tap Key Verse and read it together.
  2. Call out something that can feel scary, like the dark or a new school.
  3. Kids hide their faces. Then they jump up and say the verse in a brave voice.
  4. Do it a few times with different scary things.
  5. SAY“Being brave doesn’t mean we never feel scared. It means we trust Jesus while we feel scared.”

📖 Play along: the key verse (from the Valiant 7–8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • What’s something that feels scary to you?
  • How could remembering Jesus help you next time?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one roar like a brave lion each time the family says the verse.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your older kid share something that worries kids their age and how faith in Jesus helps with it.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Ask your teen to name the fear that feels loudest for their generation. Maybe it’s the future, fitting in or not being enough. Read Mark 5:36 together and talk about what “only believe” looks like as something you do, not just something you feel.
☕️ For grown-upsJesus said “Be not afraid, only believe” to a father who’d just been told his child was dead. He wasn’t brushing off grief. He was asking Jairus to keep walking with Him. What would it mean to keep walking with Him in your own fears for your children?

Sticker for today: 🦁

Wednesday · 8 min · Scripture detective

Apostle Detectives

👥 Can you find all twelve names?Count the Apostles.Find two Simons and two Jameses.Meet today’s Apostles!

✅ Nothing to prep. Just start!

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Jesus chose twelve Apostles and sent them to teach and bless people.

  1. Read Matthew 10:1–4 together.
  2. Hold up a finger for each Apostle’s name.
  3. Ask: “Why do you think we have Apostles today too?”

😄 Thirty-second challenge. How many Apostles’ names can you remember without peeking?

📖 Read together: Matthew 10:1–8 ↗

  1. Read Matthew 10:1 together.
  2. SAY“Jesus chose twelve Apostles. Let’s find all their names!”
  3. Read Matthew 10:2–4 slowly. Everyone holds up a finger for each name.
  4. Next clue: two Apostles are named Simon, and two are named James. Can you find them?
  5. Read Matthew 10:7–8 together. Jesus sent His Apostles out to teach and bless people. We have Apostles today too.
  6. Look at pictures of today’s Apostles in the Gospel Library app together.
Talk about it
  • What did Jesus send His Apostles to do?
  • What’s something an Apostle taught that you remember?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one count fingers with you as you read the twelve names.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Ask your older kid to find a short talk or video from one of today’s Apostles and share one sentence they liked.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Have your teen read Matthew 10:5–10 and list what Jesus told the Twelve to take and not take. Ask why He sent them with so little, and what a young missionary today might learn from that. Then watch a short video of a living Apostle testifying of Jesus Christ.
☕️ For grown-upsThe call of the Twelve comes right after Matthew 9:36–37, where Jesus sees the crowds as sheep without a shepherd and says the laborers are few. Calling Apostles was His answer to compassion. How would seeing people that way change how you serve in your own calling?

Sticker for today: 📸

Thursday · 10 min · Game

Game Night: Sparrow Search

🐦 Find the sparrow! Heavenly Father never loses you.Hide and seek.Try to count hairs!Play Forehead Guess.

✅ Nothing to prep. Just start!

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Heavenly Father notices every sparrow, and He knows each of us even better.

  1. Read Matthew 10:29–31 together.
  2. Ask: “Could anyone count all the hairs on your head?”
  3. SAY“Heavenly Father knows you that well. You matter to Him.”

😄 Everyone chirps like a sparrow. Then try to count the hairs on a parent’s head!

📖 Read together: Matthew 10:29–31 ↗

  1. Play Sparrow Hide-and-Seek. One person hides. Everyone else counts to twenty.
  2. Search together. Whoever finds the hider chirps like a bird!
  3. Read Matthew 10:29–31. Try to count the hairs on someone’s head. You can’t!
  4. SAY“Heavenly Father notices every little bird. He knows you even better than that.”
  5. Finish with a round of Forehead Guess.

🤔 Play along: Forehead Guess (from the Valiant 7–8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • How does it feel to know Heavenly Father notices you?
  • When have you felt small or forgotten?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Let your little one hide first somewhere easy. Squeal with them when someone finds them.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Have your older kid host Forehead Guess with one extra rule. Clues can’t use the word’s first letter.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Read Matthew 10:29–31 with your teen and ask when they’ve felt unnoticed, in a group, in class or even at church. Tell them one specific thing you notice about them that others might miss. Then ask who they could notice this week.
☕️ For grown-upsSparrows were among the cheapest things in the market, yet not one falls without the Father. When you feel unseen as a parent, doing a thousand small, unthanked things, remember that He sees every one of them.

Sticker for today: 🐦

Friday · 8 min · Service

Your Mission Call

📜 Your mission call is here!Hear your mission call.Salute and go!Report back: mission complete!

✅ Nothing to prep. Just start!

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Jesus sent His Apostles to help people, and He wants us to help too.

  1. Read Matthew 10:8 together.
  2. Ask: “Who could use our help this week?”
  3. Each person picks one small way to help someone today.

😄 Everyone salutes and says “Mission accepted!” in their most official voice.

📖 Read together: Matthew 10:8 ↗

  1. Read Matthew 10:8 together.
  2. SAY“Jesus sent His Apostles out to help people. Today you’re being sent on a mission!”
  3. Give each child a mission call in your most official voice.
  4. Ideas: help make dinner, read to a sibling, or call a grandparent.
  5. Everyone salutes and goes to do it.
  6. When they’re back, they report: “Mission complete!”
Talk about it
  • How did it feel to be sent to help someone?
  • What’s one way kids can help with Jesus’s work?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Give your little one a helper mission they can do with you, like carrying napkins to the table.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Let your older kid hand out the mission calls and take the hardest one for themselves.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Read “freely ye have received, freely give” in Matthew 10:8. Ask your teen what they’ve received that they could share, like a skill, their time or help with homework. Let them choose a mission that uses their real abilities, not just a chore.
☕️ For grown-upsLuke 9:23 says to take up the cross “daily.” Discipleship is mostly daily, unglamorous and freely given. Name one daily sacrifice you already make for your family, and offer it to the Lord as discipleship, not just duty.

Sticker for today: 📬

Saturday · 8 min · Dinner table

Fast Sunday Dinner Talk

🍽️ Tomorrow we fast and pray together!Pick a fasting purpose.Start with a prayer.Play the quiz!

✅ Nothing to prep. Just start!

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 Fasting and prayer can bring us closer to Heavenly Father.

  1. Read Mark 9:29 together.
  2. SAY“Fasting means we skip food for a while and pray a lot.”
  3. Choose one person or need our family will pray for tomorrow.

😄 Thumbs-up vote. Pick the family’s favorite Sunday breakfast for after the fast!

📖 Read together: Mark 9:29 ↗

  1. At dinner, say: “Tomorrow is fast Sunday. Who knows what fasting means?”
  2. SAY“We skip food for a little while and pray a lot. Then we give money to help people in need.”
  3. Read Mark 9:29 together.
  4. Talk about how each person can join in. Little kids can skip a treat or say a prayer.
  5. Pick a family fasting purpose, like someone who’s sick. Start your fast with a family prayer.
  6. Tap Quiz for a quick review, then lay out Sunday clothes.

🏆 Play along: Scripture Showdown (from the Valiant 7–8 lesson; pick your kid’s class above for theirs)

Talk about it
  • Who or what do you want to fast and pray for?
  • How can skipping food for a while bring us closer to Heavenly Father?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Young children don’t go without food. Let your little one pick a treat to skip tomorrow and help say the prayer.
📚 Big kids (10–13)Kids fast as they’re ready, with a parent’s help. Invite your older kid to fill out the fast offering slip with you and explain how it helps people nearby.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Invite your teen to fast with a purpose of their own, not only the family’s. Read Isaiah 58:6–7 together to see the kind of fast the Lord loves. Let them decide what they’ll pray about and how much they want to share.
☕️ For grown-upsFasting is less about going hungry than about telling God your desire is serious. What do you truly want to ask for this fast Sunday, for yourself and not only for your family?

Sticker for today: 🙏

Sunday · 6 min · Sabbath

Fast Sunday

🙏 Fast, pray, and share what you know!Tell what you learned.Pray to end the fast.Share one “I know…”

✅ Nothing to prep. Just start!

⏱ Only 10 minutes?

💡 A testimony is telling others what we know about Jesus.

  1. Read Matthew 10:32 together.
  2. Ask: “What did you hear at church today that you liked?”
  3. Each person finishes “I know…” or “I’m thankful for…”

😄 High-five chain. Each person says one word about Jesus, then high-fives the next person.

📖 Read together: Matthew 10:32 ↗

  1. Ask: “What did you learn in Primary today?”
  2. Ask: “What did you hear in testimony meeting that you liked?”
  3. Read Matthew 10:32 together. A testimony is telling others what we know about Jesus.
  4. Kneel for a family prayer about your fasting purpose. Then end your fast.
  5. Go around the circle. Each person finishes “I know…” or “I’m thankful for…”
Talk about it
  • What did you learn in Primary today?
  • What do you know about Jesus that you could tell a friend?
🧸 Little ones (2–5)Help your little one say a simple testimony, like “I know Jesus loves me.”
📚 Big kids (10–13)Invite your older kid to share a short testimony in your family circle, or plan to share one in testimony meeting next month.
🧑 Teens (14–18)Read Luke 9:23–25 with your teen. Whoever loses their life for Christ will save it. Ask what following Him has cost them so far, and what it has given back. Invite them to share one sentence of testimony in their own words.
☕️ For grown-upsKids learn testimony mostly from hearing yours in ordinary moments. Today, share not only what you know but how you came to know it. The story matters as much as the statement.

Sticker for today: 🥖

Family challenge

Brave Believers

Whenever someone in the family feels worried this week, everyone stops and says the key verse together, then does one brave thing with them. On Sunday, share which worry got smaller.

Parent Corner

Mark 5 braids two stories together on purpose. Jairus, a respected leader of the synagogue, falls at Jesus’s feet for his dying daughter. On the way, an unnamed woman who has been ritually unclean for twelve years touches the edge of His clothes in the crowd. Jesus stops, turns and insists on finding her, then calls her “Daughter” (Mark 5:34), while Jairus waits. Then the news comes that the girl has died. The delay that looked like a disaster became the setting for a greater miracle, and a woman no one would touch was named as family. Twelve years of suffering and a twelve-year-old girl, both restored in one afternoon. The Lord’s timing is not indifference. He is often ministering to someone else on His way to us, and He still arrives.

  • Ponder: Where does it feel like Jesus has stopped to help someone else while you wait, and how might He be working in the delay?
  • Try this: As you fast this Sunday, write down one specific thing you’re asking for and date it. Look back at it in a few months and notice how the Lord answered.

From general conference

“Yes, we might sometimes want to run away from where we are, but we certainly should never run away from who we are—children of the living God who loves us, who is always ready to forgive us, and who will never, ever forsake us.”

— Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “Fear Not: Believe Only!,” April 2022

For parents on Tuesday; a good line to share with a teen who feels worried or discouraged.

Read the talk ↗

Dinner-table questions

  • Would you rather have been in the crowd or been Jairus waiting at home? Why?
  • What do you think the Apostles felt when Jesus sent them out?
  • What’s one thing that helps you feel brave?
  • If Heavenly Father notices sparrows, what do you think He notices about you today?
  • What is something you know about Jesus?

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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