A Poem | The Secret Place (From Generation to Generation)
Written by: Numalani Fonoti
Samoan translation by: Loloma Toelupe-Fonoti and Numalani Fonoti
Inspired by: The goodness of God in our lives and that of our parents/grandparents and a conversation with Pastor Alex Larsen at AOG National Conference 2026 about the power of prayer.
Expression by: the Fonoti Family (3 generations) at our Children’s Day Service
The Secret Place (From Generation to Generation)
O le Nofoaga Lilo (Mai lea auga tupulaga i lea auga tupulaga)
Papa:
There is a place, that is older than time
Older than she, he, and I.
As hard as that may be to believe,
It's a hidden place where I go to receive.
Nana:
In Samoa, when someone goes away,
There’s something beautiful we often say:
“Feiloa’i i talosaga.”
Not simply, “Goodbye,”
Or, “Take good care.”
But, “I will meet you in our prayers."
Granddaughter:
And somewhere between your prayers and mine,
Our prayers meet across distance and time.
The prayers you've said for today,
Daughter:
The prayers we've said for tomorrow,
Nana:
Prayers prayed long before we even met,
Granddaughter:
All come together in a sacred space the Bible calls,
the Secret Place.
Nana:
It’s the place my mother would visit daily
Quietly whispering each one of our names
And with every seemingly impossible feat,
asking for strength and eyes to see.
Papa:
My father knew that place well too
where he often returned with music he made,
To praise the faithfulness of God
who answered his prayers, in miraculous ways.
Daughter:
And as I grew, I came to love
this special place and what it meant.
When life got hard or when joy filled my cup,
In the secret place, I was reminded of Who He Is!
Nana:
Generation after generation,
Our prayers have met
in the presence of God,
In Jesus' name.
Asking, believing, listening, hearing.
Granddaughter:
Our expression today is actually quite simple.
And perhaps in there is a message for us all-
To treasure the quiet,
The simple,
The small-
Daughter:
The unseen things
That strengthen us all.
Because while we serve an extraordinary God,
who can move mountains
And make ways against the odds.
He is deeply present in the ordinary too.
Granddaughter:
He meets us in the morning
when we wake and pray.
Papa:
He meets us at night,
When we kneel and say,
“Thank You for today!
Please guide me tomorrow.”
Nana:
He meets us at work,
At school. At play…
on a quiet walk, or on the train.
Daughter:
He meets us whether or not we know what to say.
We need only, call on his name.
Papa:
And therein lies the Secret Place.
Where God and I meet…
Nana:
Where I listen for his voice…
Granddaughter:
Where I praise and remember
His goodness and grace!
Papa:
There is no audience, but Him.
No appointment.
No waiting list.
And most importantly in this economy…
It is free!
Daughter:
I meet God in my bedroom. In my car.
Nana:
In the middle of my fears.
Granddaughter:
In the midst of my joy.
Nana:
Wherever you are, God will meet you!
Numa:
And just as our ancestors
found strength there,
Papa:
We can find hope in the secret place!
Nana:
I'll meet you in my prayers-
Meet me in yours!
Granddaughter:
And perhaps one day
when my children ask,
“What kept you and them, when life got hard?”
I can tell them:
“It wasn't anything profound.
it was simply in
the kneeling down,
placing our lives and yours in God's hands.”
Calling on the One who holds every plan,
For today, tomorrow, for generations to come.
Not perfectly.
Just sincerely.
In the secret place.
Samoan Translation:
O le Nofoaga Lilo (Mai lea auga tupulaga i lea auga tupulaga)
E iai se nofoaga e sili atu ona tausaga, nai lo o tausaga e afe.
E sili atu nai lo o tausaga o si o'u to'alua, o nai a’u uō, ma lo'u nei tagata.
O le mea e lilo i le va’ai, ‘ou te utuvai pea iai.
I si ō matou atunu'u o Samoa
A faimalaga se isi
e iai se fa'aupuga matagofie e masani ona fa'aogaina,
"Feiloa'i i talosaga"
E lē na'o se fa'atōfā, po'o se fa'amanuia,
a o se fa'aupuga lafo ma le mautinoa, ole a feiloa’i pea, e ala i le tatalo.
Ma e tusa lava po’o le ā le mamao ma le umi o le taimi,
e tatou te feiloa’i pea i talosaga na lua faia auā le asō,
O talosaga fai fai pea mo ā taeao,
O talosaga momoli a tua'ā, ae mulimuli ane tatou feiloa'i,
Ua taunu'u uma ile nofoaga mamalu e fa'aigoaina e le Tusi Paia, ole nofoaga lilo.
O le nofoaga sa asiasi iai si o'u tinā i aso uma
E tōlaulau ta'itasitasi ai igoa o lana fanau
Ma ia si'itia ai avega mamafa uma
A’o ia tatalo faatauānau i Le Alii, e foa’i mai lona malosi ma mata fa’aleagaga, e va'ai ai.
Na silafia fo'i e si o'u tamā le nofoaga lēnā
E faimalaga so'o iai ma pesega na ia fatuina
E vi’ia ai le suafa o Le Ali'i
Ina ua ia tali mai i lana fa’atoga, e ala i vavega.
Ina ua ou ola ma tuputupu a’e, ua fa’atupuina fo’i lo’u fiafia i lenei nofoaga tāua.
I aso faigatā ma aso e taumasuasua ai la’u ipu ile olioli,
a ou āsia le nofoaga lilo,
e faamanatu mai pea ia te a’u, le lelei male matagofie o Le Ali’i.
E feiloa’i pea a tatou talosaga
mai lea augātupulaga, i lea augātupulaga-
ile maota ole silisili ese
ile suafa o Iesu
e ala ile faatoga ma le fa’atuatua,
ma taliga ua naunau ile fia fa’alogo pea i lona si’ufofoga.
E faigofie lava la matou faatinoga i lenei aso
Ma o lo’o afīfī ai i totonu se fe’au mo oe ma a’u
Tatou te fa’atāuaina ai se mea itiiti ma le fa’atauva’a.
O mea lē va’aia e maua ai lō tatou malosi.
Auā o lo’o tatou auauna i Le Atua e fai vavega,
O lē na te si’itia mauga maualuluga ma fausia ala i mea faigatā uma.
Ae o lo’o fa’atasi fo’i ia ma i tatou, i aso fai so’o.
Na te fa’afeiloa’i tatou i le mālū ole taeao, pe a tatou maleifua mai, i le tatalo.
E feiloa’i mai fo’i ile pō
Pe a tatou to’otutuli ma vala’au atu
“Fa’afetai Iesu mo lenei aso,
tautai oe I le aso fou ā taeao.”
E feiloa’i mai ile fale faigaluega, a’oga, ma ta’aloga, a’o tatou savalivali, po’o ti’eti’e fo’i ile nofoaafi.
E feiloa’i mai
tusa pe lē mā gagana
Tau lava o le tatou vala’au atu i lona suafa.
O le nofoaga lilo lēnā
Ma te feiloa’i ai ma Le Ali’i
Ou te fa’alogo ai i lona si’ufofoga
Ou te vivi’i atu ai ia te ia
ma ou manatunatu i lona lelei ma lona fa’amāoni.
E leai se ‘au maimoa, ua na’o ia.
Leai se taimi atofaina
Leai se lisi faatalitali
Ma e sili ona tāua i lenei vaitau ole taugatā ole soifuaga,
e maua fua, e leai sona tau.
Ma te feiloai ma Le Alii i lo’u fale, i la’u taavale,
I le loloto o lo’u lē mautonu,
I le ogātotonu o lo’u fiafia,
O fea lava le mea e te iai, e fia feiloa’i Le Ali’i ia te oe.
Ma e pei ona maua le malosi’aga e ō tatou tua’ā i lenei nofoaga
E fa’apea fo’i ona tatou maua le fa’amoemoe sili ile nofoaga lilo.
Feiloa’i i talosaga!
Feiloa’i i talosaga!
Oute tatalo atu pea mo oe,
Tatalo mai fo’i mo a’u!
Ma a tonu e sau se aso fesili mai sa’u fanau,
Na fa’apefea ona outou manumalo I lu’itau e tele ole olaga?
Ona ou tali lea fa’apea-
E lē ose mea e maua gatā
A ole tulivae pea i luma o Le Atua,
E talosia ai lo outou soifua ma so matou ola.
O le vala’au faifaipea ia te ia
O lē e u’umauina fuafuaga uma
mo le asō, taeao, ma augā tupulaga fai mai.
E lē ona o sō tatou atoatoa
Ae ona ole loto naunau atu i Le Ali’i male fa’amāoni,
i le nofoaga lilo.