The Great Page Rescue

Prophets write God’s words, two brave sisters save them from the street, and Jesus uses scripture to stand strong

  • 💧 CTR 8
  • ⚡ Fast Sunday
  • 📅 Sunday, March 7, 2027
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

Heavenly Father speaks through His prophets, and the scriptures they wrote down are His words to me, with power to help me choose the right.

I can treasure the scriptures by reading them, remembering them, and using them to choose the right, like Jesus did.

Know the chapters

This is the March fast-Sunday lesson from Appendix B of the 2027 manual. It replaces the regular Come, Follow Me lesson on fast Sunday. Some kids may be hungry or trying to fast with their families today (children aren’t required to). The key verse fits beautifully: after Jesus fasted forty days, He said we don’t live by bread alone, but by every word from God (Matthew 4:4). Keep the energy positive and skip food rewards.

Heavenly Father speaks to His children through prophets. “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Prophets write His words down so they don’t get lost or changed, and those writings become scripture: the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. We also have a living prophet today, the President of the Church. Kids love scripture stories (an ark, a lions’ den, shining stones), but the real reason we love the scriptures is that they are messages from God, and they all point to Jesus Christ (John 5:39).

The Lord uses big, active words when He invites us to study. Nephi told his brothers that the rod of iron in Lehi’s dream is the word of God, and whoever listens to it and holds fast to it won’t be overpowered by the adversary’s temptations (1 Nephi 15:23–24). Nephi also invites us to feast on the words of Christ, because they will tell us everything we should do (2 Nephi 32:3). The Lord told early missionaries to treasure up His words in their minds all the time, and the right words would be given to them in the very moment they needed them (Doctrine and Covenants 84:85). Hold fast, feast, treasure up: each one comes with a promise.

The story comes from early Church history (see “Mary and Caroline Rollins” in Doctrine and Covenants Stories and Saints, volume 1). As a young girl in Kirtland, Ohio, Mary Rollins borrowed the only copy of the Book of Mormon in town and read it nearly all night; later Joseph Smith let her keep that copy. After her family moved to Independence, Missouri, angry men wrecked the building where the Church was printing the Book of Commandments, an early collection of Joseph Smith’s revelations. Mary and her sister Caroline dashed into the street, gathered armfuls of pages, and hid in a cornfield until the men chasing them gave up. Those revelations are in the Doctrine and Covenants today. Tell the chase with suspense, but keep it gentle: the sisters were brave and safe, and no one got hurt.

Only have 5 minutes?

Read Matthew 4:1–4 and skim the Mary and Caroline Rollins story in Doctrine and Covenants Stories (Gospel Library). Open Teach Mode, play Telephone, let your phone or tablet carry the story drama, then do the Prophet Pose-Off and Forehead Guess. Tap “I brought nothing” and every step switches to a no-supplies version.

What to bring4 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Write the Telephone message on a slip of paper and fold it: “Seven silly squirrels skateboard on Saturday.”
  2. Crumple a few of the scrap-paper pages a little so they look like they’ve been tossed in the street. Keep them in a pile by your chair.
  3. Before class, tie one end of the string to a chair leg on one side of the room, weave it around two or three chairs, and leave the other end loose on a chair at the far side. That far chair is the Tree of Life.
  4. Look up one short thing the President of the Church has taught recently, so you can share it in the Prophet Pose-Off.
  5. Add your kids’ names in the My Class tab so you can hand out story parts with one tap.

If your class is wild

  • It’s fast Sunday. Some kids may be hungry and short-tempered. Give your crankiest kid a big job (Mary, or the Tree of Life), and use high-fives or the Goal Jar instead of treats.
  • The Angry Men in the story move only in slow motion and never touch anyone. Slow-motion stomping is hilarious and keeps the chase scene safe.
  • In the cornfield scene, everyone else becomes cornstalks: tall, swaying and totally silent. It’s a built-in quiet moment in the middle of the lesson.
  • During Hold Fast, walkers go slowly with one hand always on the rod. Mist Makers can whisper and wave, but never touch.
  • If the class gets loud, whisper “It is written…” and wait. Teach them to whisper it back and fold their arms.

The 25-minute plan24 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Telephone Trouble

3 min

A quick game of Telephone shows why prophets write God’s words down instead of just passing them along.

  1. Line everyone up shoulder to shoulder (or in a circle of chairs).
  2. Whisper the message to the first kid: “Seven silly squirrels skateboard on Saturday.” Each kid whispers it once to the next. No repeats!
  3. The last kid says it out loud. Then unfold your paper (or read it from this screen) and read the real message. Enjoy the giggles.
  4. Ask: “Why did the message get mixed up?” (Whispers change as they’re passed along.) “How could we keep it from changing?” (Write it down!)
  5. SAY“Heavenly Father doesn’t want His words to get mixed up. So He tells His prophets, and they write His words down. We call those writings the scriptures.”
🌪️ Whisper, don’t shout. Anyone who says the message out loud early goes to the end of the line.

Class screen: 📞 Telephone! Will the message make it? · Whisper it once · No repeats!

2. Story

Story Drama: The Great Page Rescue

6 min

Two brave sisters show kids how much the Lord’s written words are worth.

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode to assign them from your class list). Everyone without a role is a Cornstalk and the Sound Crew.
  2. Give Brother Morley your Book of Mormon to hold for scenes 1–3.
  3. Read each scene aloud and pause for the action cue. At scene 5, toss the paper pages across the floor.
  4. At scene 7, Mary and Caroline scoop up the pages; at scene 8, they lie on them while the Cornstalks sway silently.
  5. Finish by holding up your Doctrine and Covenants (or open it in Gospel Library). Say: “Here they are! The words those girls saved.”
🌪️ The chase is speed-walking, and the Angry Men are slow motion only. Anyone who runs becomes a cornstalk.

Class screen: 🎭 Story Drama time! · Everyone gets a part

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: 8–10 sheets of scrap paper, loose (the pages the sisters rescue)

  1. Hand out the roles (tap Roles in Teach Mode). Everyone without a role is a Cornstalk and the Sound Crew.
  2. Give Brother Morley your own scriptures (or your phone open to the Book of Mormon in Gospel Library) to hold for scenes 1–3.
  3. Read each scene aloud and pause for the action cue. At scene 5, the Crew throws handfuls of invisible pages into the air: “Fwoosh!”
  4. At scene 7, Mary and Caroline scoop up giant armfuls of invisible pages. Make it big and dramatic. At scene 8, they lie on them while the Cornstalks sway silently.
  5. Finish by holding up your Doctrine and Covenants (or open it in Gospel Library). Say: “Here they are! The words those girls saved.”
3. Wiggle break

Prophet Pose-Off

2 min

A guess-and-pose game reviews prophets from the scriptures and keeps bodies moving.

  1. Teach the poses: Moses (hold two stone tablets over your head) · Noah (hammer a boat) · Lehi (arms out like tree branches) · Samuel the Lamanite (stand on one foot on the city wall, arm pointing out) · Joseph Smith (kneel and look up) · Our living prophet (cup your hand to your ear: we listen!).
  2. Read a clue. Kids strike the pose on “3, 2, 1, POSE!” Clues: God gave him ten commandments (Moses) · He saw a tree that stands for God’s love (Lehi) · He stood on a wall to say Jesus would be born (Samuel) · He saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and translated the Book of Mormon (Joseph Smith) · He built an ark (Noah).
  3. Last clue: “He is the prophet and President of the Church today.” Everyone does the listening pose. Say his name and share one thing he has taught.
🌪️ Poses have to freeze for three seconds. Wobblers laugh it off and try again.

Class screen: 🧍 Guess the prophet, then strike a pose! · 🪨 Moses · 🌳 Lehi · 🧱 Samuel · 🙏 Joseph Smith · 👂 Our prophet today

4. Object lesson

Hold Fast to the Rod

3 min

Walking the string with eyes closed shows how God’s word guides us through confusing moments.

  1. Show the string path. Say: “In Lehi’s dream, a rod of iron led to a tree whose fruit stood for God’s love. Nephi said the rod is the word of God. If we hold fast to it, the tricks of the adversary can’t lead us away (1 Nephi 15:23–24).”
  2. Pick two or three Mist Makers. They wave their arms like fog and whisper distractions, but never touch: “Come play video games!” “Just skip it!” “This way!”
  3. One walker at a time closes their eyes, puts a hand on the string, and walks slowly to the Tree of Life chair. Take turns while time allows.
  4. Ask: “What helped you get there when you couldn’t see?” (Holding on to the rod.) “What are the ‘mists’ in our real life?” (Temptations, confusion, being scared.) “How do the scriptures help?”
🌪️ Walk slowly with one hand always on the string. You walk right beside each walker as the safety spotter.

Class screen: 🧵 Hold fast to the word of God! · Eyes closed · Hand on the rod · Don’t let go!

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: A long piece of string or yarn, about 20 feet (the iron rod)

The Human Iron Rod

  1. SAY“In Lehi’s dream, a rod of iron led to a tree whose fruit stood for God’s love. Nephi said the rod is the word of God. If we hold fast to it, the tricks of the adversary can’t lead us away.”
  2. Half the class makes the rod: stand in a long, wiggly line and hold hands with arms out straight. The last kid in line is the Tree of Life with arms up like branches.
  3. Pick two Mist Makers. Tap the wind sound on the Sound Board. They wave their arms like fog and whisper distractions, but never touch: “Come play video games!” “This way!”
  4. One walker at a time closes their eyes and slides a hand along the linked arms all the way to the Tree. Swap rod and walkers while time allows.
  5. Ask: “What helped you get there when you couldn’t see?” (Holding on.) “How do the scriptures help us when life gets confusing?”

Class screen: 🤝 YOU are the iron rod! Hold fast! · Eyes closed · Hand on the rod · Don’t let go!

5. Scripture

Scripture Spotlight: Matthew 4:4

3 min

Jesus shows kids exactly how to use scripture when they’re tempted, and the verse is perfect for fast Sunday.

  1. SAY“Before Jesus began teaching, He went into the wilderness and fasted for forty days. Then Satan came and tried to trick Him three times. Every single time, Jesus answered, ‘It is written,’ and quoted the scriptures.”
  2. Show the verse on your phone or tablet and read it once slowly. Say: “Today is fast Sunday. Some grown-ups are skipping food so they can think about God’s words. Kids don’t have to fast, but we can all feed our spirits today.”
  3. Teach the motions one phrase at a time, then say it three ways: normal voice, whisper voice, and super-strong voice.
  4. Ask: “If someone dares you to do something wrong, what could you say, like Jesus did?”

Class screen: ✨ It is written!

6. Game

Forehead Guess: Prophets & Scriptures Edition

3 min

A Heads Up–style guessing game that reviews prophets, scripture stories and the page rescue.

  1. Tap Forehead Guess. One kid holds your phone or tablet on their forehead, screen facing the class.
  2. The class gives clues without saying the word. The hint under each word helps if they get stuck.
  3. Guesser tilts your phone or tablet down for “got it,” up to pass. Each turn lasts 45 seconds, then pass your phone or tablet.
  4. For your wiggliest kids, switch to Act It Out: clue-givers can only act, no talking. The prophet poses are perfect here.
🌪️ Clue-givers stay in their seats. Anyone who blurts the word waits one turn before giving clues again.

Class screen: 🤔 Forehead Guess! · Give clues, don’t say the word!

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A fast team quiz reviews everything they learned.

  1. Split into two teams. Tap Scripture Showdown to start.
  2. Read each question aloud. Teams whisper together, then point to an answer.
  3. Tap the team that got it right to give them a point.

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown!

8. Talk it over

Talk It Over

2 min

Connect the scriptures to their own week.

  1. Sit in a circle. Pick one or two questions; you don’t need them all.
  2. Share your own answer too. Kids open up when the teacher does.
💬 Ask the class
  • What’s your favorite story in the scriptures? Why do you like it?
  • Mary and Caroline were brave for the scriptures. How can we show we love the scriptures?
  • Jesus used scripture when He was tempted. When could a verse help you at school or at home?
  • What has our prophet taught that could help your family?

Class screen: 💬 Let’s talk!

9. Testimony

Testimony & Treasure Up

2 min

End calm and reverent, with something to do at home.

  1. Lower your voice. Share one or two sentences about a time a verse of scripture or a prophet’s words helped you or comforted you.
  2. SAY“The scriptures aren’t just old stories. They are Heavenly Father’s words to YOU, and they always point to Jesus.”
  3. Introduce the Treasure Up challenge on the screen.
  4. Ask a child to say the closing prayer.

Class screen: 💎 This week: treasure up God’s words! · Read scriptures 5 minutes a day · Pick one verse to treasure · Teach it to your family

Story drama

The Great Page Rescue

Doctrine and Covenants Stories, “Mary and Caroline Rollins”; Saints, vol. 1, pp. 177–79

Parts to hand out

  • Mary RollinsLoves the Book of Mormon, reads all night, and bravely rescues the pages.
  • Caroline RollinsMary’s little sister: scared at first, then brave enough to run with her.
  • Brother Isaac MorleyOwns the only Book of Mormon in town and lends it to Mary.
  • Joseph SmithHears how much Mary loves the book and lets her keep it.
  • PrintersTwo kids stamp pages on the printing press: “Ka-CHUNK! Ka-CHUNK!”
  • Angry MenTwo kids who stomp and search in slow motion only, and never touch anyone.
  • Cornstalks & Sound CrewEveryone else: crash sounds, gasps, and a tall, swaying, silent cornfield.

Scenes

  1. 📘🏘️ Only one Book of Mormon in town

    When Mary Rollins was 12, missionaries came to her town of Kirtland, Ohio, with a brand-new book: the Book of Mormon! But there was only one copy in the whole town, and Brother Isaac Morley had it.

    🎬 Brother Morley hugs the book. Mary asks, “May I PLEASE see it?”

  2. 🕯️📖 Reading almost all night

    Brother Morley let Mary borrow it, as long as she brought it back early the next morning. Mary treated it like treasure. She stayed up almost all night reading!

    🎬 Mary reads by pretend candlelight. The Crew yawns and snores, but Mary keeps turning pages.

  3. 😲🎁 Mary could take it home and finish

    When Mary brought it back, Brother Morley couldn’t believe how much she’d read. He told her to take it home and finish it. She was the first person in Kirtland to read the whole thing! Later, Joseph Smith heard how much she loved it and let her keep that copy.

    🎬 Joseph Smith hands Mary the book. Everyone: “WHOA!”

  4. 🖨️📄 Printing the Lord’s words

    Mary’s family moved to Independence, Missouri. There, Church leaders were printing a new book of the revelations Jesus Christ had given to Joseph Smith. It was called the Book of Commandments.

    🎬 Printers stamp pages: “Ka-CHUNK! Ka-CHUNK!” Everyone joins in.

  5. 😠💥 Angry men wreck the press

    But some people in town didn’t like the Church. One day, angry men broke into the printing building. They threw the printing press out the window and scattered the pages all over the street.

    🎬 Angry Men stomp in slow motion. Crew makes a big crash sound. Toss the paper pages on the floor.

  6. 🙈🚧 Two sisters behind a fence

    Mary and her sister Caroline were watching from behind a fence. Mary wanted to save the pages before they were ruined. Caroline was scared of the angry men. But both girls knew those pages held the word of God.

    🎬 The sisters crouch. Caroline shivers. Mary whispers, “Those are God’s words!”

  7. 🏃‍♀️📄 Grab the pages and run!

    When the men weren’t looking, the sisters dashed into the street and scooped up as many pages as they could carry. Some men saw them and yelled at them to stop. The girls held on tight and ran as fast as they could.

    🎬 Mary and Caroline scoop up the pages and speed-walk away. Angry Men (slow motion): “Heyyy! Stooop!”

  8. 🌽🤫 Hiding in the cornfield

    They ran into a cornfield so tall they couldn’t see out. They lay down flat with the pages underneath them and stayed perfectly still. Two men walked through the corn, looking and looking.

    🎬 Cornstalks stand tall and sway silently. The sisters lie flat on the pages. Angry Men tiptoe past in slow motion.

  9. 📚🙌 The pages are saved!

    Finally the men gave up. Mary and Caroline were safe, and so were the Lord’s words! Those revelations are in the Doctrine and Covenants today, and you can read them anytime.

    🎬 Everyone holds up their hands like an open book: “SAVED!”

Key verse

Matthew 4:4 ↗
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”
In kid words: Jesus taught that food keeps our bodies alive, but our spirits need every word God speaks.
🙌 “Man shall not live” = shake your head and wag a finger · “by bread alone” = hold a pretend loaf, then set it down · “but by every word” = open your hands like a book · “that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” = fingers move out from your mouth, then point up

More verses

Amos 3:7 ↗
“Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets”
In kid words: Heavenly Father always tells His prophets what He is going to do.
Matthew 4:2 ↗
“when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred”
In kid words: Jesus fasted for forty days and nights, and then He was very hungry.
John 5:39 ↗
“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”
In kid words: Jesus told us to search the scriptures, because they tell about Him.
2 Timothy 3:15 ↗
“from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures”
In kid words: Even when you’re a child, you can know and love the scriptures.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 🧔 Prophet
  • 📖 Scriptures
  • 🪨 Moses
  • 🔟 Ten Commandments
  • 🚢 Noah
  • 🌳 Lehi
  • 🧵 Iron Rod
  • 🧱 Samuel the Lamanite
  • 👨 Joseph Smith
  • 📘 Book of Mormon
  • 👧 Mary Rollins
  • 🖨️ Printing Press
  • 📄 Pages
  • 🌽 Cornfield
  • 📗 Doctrine and Covenants
  • 🏜️ Wilderness
  • ✍️ It Is Written
  • 📞 Telephone
Clues for each word
  • Prophet: God tells him His words, and he shares them
  • Scriptures: Holy books where prophets wrote God’s words
  • Moses: Received the Ten Commandments
  • Ten Commandments: God’s rules written on stone tablets
  • Noah: Built an ark full of animals
  • Lehi: Dreamed about the tree of life
  • Iron Rod: Hold fast! It stands for the word of God
  • Samuel the Lamanite: Stood on a wall to say Jesus was coming
  • Joseph Smith: Translated the Book of Mormon
  • Book of Mormon: Mary Rollins read it almost all night
  • Mary Rollins: Brave girl who rescued the pages
  • Printing Press: Machine that goes “Ka-CHUNK” and makes books
  • Pages: Scattered in the street, then saved
  • Cornfield: Where the sisters hid
  • Doctrine and Covenants: Book with the revelations the sisters saved
  • Wilderness: Where Jesus fasted for forty days
  • It Is Written: What Jesus said when Satan tempted Him
  • Telephone: Whisper game where messages get mixed up
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown8 questions

  1. Which prophet received the Ten Commandments from God?
    • A. Noah
    • B. Moses
    • C. Jonah
    Show answer

    ✅ B. Moses God gave Moses the commandments to teach the people (Exodus 20).

  2. Which prophet stood on a city wall to say Jesus would come?
    • A. Samuel the Lamanite
    • B. Lehi
    • C. Daniel
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Samuel the Lamanite Samuel climbed the wall when people wouldn’t let him into the city (Helaman 13:4).

  3. What did Mary Rollins do with the borrowed Book of Mormon?
    • A. Lost it in the snow
    • B. Used it as a pillow
    • C. Read it almost all night
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Read it almost all night She loved it so much she became the first person in Kirtland to finish it.

  4. Where did Mary and Caroline hide with the pages?
    • A. In a river
    • B. In a cornfield
    • C. In a tree house
    Show answer

    ✅ B. In a cornfield The corn was so tall that the men searching for them gave up.

  5. Those rescued revelations are in which book today?
    • A. The Doctrine and Covenants
    • B. A phone book
    • C. A dictionary
    Show answer

    ✅ A. The Doctrine and Covenants You can read the revelations Mary and Caroline saved in the Doctrine and Covenants.

  6. What did Jesus say each time Satan tried to trick Him?
    • A. “Maybe later.”
    • B. “Let me think about it.”
    • C. “It is written…”
    Show answer

    ✅ C. “It is written…” Jesus answered every temptation with scripture (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10).

  7. Nephi said the iron rod stands for…
    • A. A fence
    • B. The word of God
    • C. A fishing pole
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The word of God Hold fast to God’s word and temptations can’t pull you away (1 Nephi 15:24).

  8. Amos 3:7 says God reveals His secrets to whom?
    • A. Kings
    • B. His servants the prophets
    • C. Nobody
    Show answer

    ✅ B. His servants the prophets Heavenly Father speaks through prophets, then and now.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • Search, Ponder, and Pray Children’s Songbook, p. 109

    How we treasure up the scriptures ourselves. Find it ↗

  • Follow the Prophet Children’s Songbook, p. 110

    A fun review of the prophets from the Pose-Off. Find it ↗

  • We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet Hymns, no. 19

    Say thank you for our living prophet. Find it ↗

  • Book of Mormon Stories Children’s Songbook, p. 118

    The book Mary Rollins loved so much. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Treasure Up

Read or listen to the scriptures for 5 minutes every day this week. Pick one verse you love (Matthew 4:4 is a great one), learn it by heart, and teach it to your family on Sunday.

Text the parents

Today in Primary we learned that Heavenly Father speaks through prophets, who write His words in the scriptures. We acted out the true story of Mary and Caroline Rollins, who rescued pages of the Lord’s revelations and hid in a cornfield. We learned how Jesus answered temptation with “It is written.” Ask your child: why were those pages worth saving, and which verse will you treasure up this week?

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

💎 Feast, Hold Fast, Treasure Up · 5 min

  1. Split into three teams. Give each team one passage (your scriptures or Gospel Library): 2 Nephi 32:3, 1 Nephi 15:23–24, or Doctrine and Covenants 84:85.
  2. Each team finds the Lord’s action word (feast, hold fast, treasure up) and the promised blessing.
  3. Teams act out their action word for the others to guess, then share the blessing in their own words.

✍️ It Is Written Challenge · 4 min

  1. Read Matthew 4:1–11 together (or tell it simply). Count how many times Jesus says “It is written.” (Three!)
  2. Name an everyday temptation (a friend dares you to lie, you want to hit your brother back, you want to skip your prayers).
  3. The class shouts “It is written!” and helps choose a verse or a Primary song line that would help. Say: “The more words we treasure up, the more we have ready when we need them.”

🎬 Scripture Stories Charades · 4 min

  1. Whisper a favorite scripture story to a volunteer: Noah’s ark, Daniel in the lions’ den, the brother of Jared’s shining stones, David and Goliath, Jesus calming the storm.
  2. They act it out with no words while the class guesses.
  3. After each one, ask: “What does this story teach us about Heavenly Father or Jesus?”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

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