Whether teaching from the pulpit or reminiscing with family and friends, Elder Hutch U. Fale is quick to call out life lessons learned from mentors — like Bishop Samiu Tupoumalohi, his bishop while a teen in Tonga; President Taniela Kivalu, his mission president; and President Semisi Makai, his stake president while serving as a new bishop in Orem, Utah; just to name a few.
But some of the most-treasured learnings for the newly called General Authority Seventy — which he humbly credits as preparation for his service after being sustained in April 2026 general conference — come from his parents, siblings, extended family and ancestral heritage from opposite sides of the globe. And from God.
Though his father was not a member of the Church until 2014, Elder Fale remembers him as a Christian with great belief and a common refrain. “He said, ‘You just have to know what’s right, and you do it. Never be afraid of how much work it is or how hard it is — you can do it. That’s all you need to worry about. Let everyone else be who they need to be; you be who you’re supposed to be.’”