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.’”
In addition to his mother and her faith, Elder Fale is appreciative of “all the mothers in my life” — especially grandmothers and aunts. Of their love, example and teaching, he said: “If I think, ‘What helped prepare me?’ it’s just having moms everywhere that love me, care for me and correct me.”
And Elder Fale testifies that from a young age — especially after a specific Primary lesson — “I’ve known that Heavenly Father is there, that He loves me, that He listens and that through my Savior, I can connect with Him.”
Birth and heritage
Hutch ‘Unga Fale was born Aug. 22, 1979, in Provo, Utah, the second oldest of the eight children of Tevita “Hutch” Fale and Kim Corinne Kimball. His first name is his father’s nickname, and his middle name is short for the longer family name of Ungapapalangi.
When he was 5 years old, the family moved to Mu’a, Tonga, the ancient and archaeologically rich capital of Tonga, located on the east side of Tongatapu Island. “It’s where my family heritage goes back for literally thousands of years on my dad’s side,” he said.
With emotion, Elder Fale recalled his formative years in Mu’a as providing “a deep sense of responsibility to represent everyone who came before” and “a sense of duty and desire to keep carrying the torch.”
He walked daily past Mu’a’s terraced royal tombs, going to and from school and the plantation where family members worked. “And there was just this deep sense of belonging that says it’s about way more than just me.”
And it was way more than just about Tonga. Despite the distance from the United States, Elder Fale developed a deep appreciation for his heritage through his mother. “It’s very easy to feel that for all who came before, not just Tonga but from my mom’s side as well,” he said.
His mother grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, with family roots extending to the Latter-day Saint communities in the Phoenix/Mesa areas and on to Thatcher and St. John’s in eastern Arizona. Her family lines include faithful generations from the early days of the Church and the crossing of the Plains.
Raised in Tonga
In Mu’a, the Fale family attended the English-speaking Liahona Ward, a 30-minute drive from their home. When Elder Fale was a young teen, the car broke down, and the family walked to the Mu’a 1st Ward, a Tongan unit a mile away. When the car was repaired, Elder Fale asked if he could continue attending the Tongan ward; his mother agreed.
The bishop called the 14-year-old to be an assistant ward clerk over finances, with his 15-year-old cousin the ward clerk. And the bishop told the two teens each Sunday the topic for sacrament meeting talks, in case they were needed to fill in — which they frequently did.
Elder Fale recalled the bishop’s trust, teaching and time — for all the youth. “This focus on the rising generation — my bishop had that vision with us growing up. And that really helped prepare me.”
BYU-Hawaii and dating
The courtship of Hutch Fale and Gaylene Lilino — a Rotuman, born and raised in Suva, Fiji — began in 1997 when they were students at Brigham Young University-Hawaii. Sister Fale explained she and her twin sister were interested in a dinner-dance but would only go as a double date.
The young man going with her sister had an idea for Sister Fale — he knew a guy in his dorm who studied a lot in his room and didn’t get out much. Sister Fale recalls feeling hesitant, but the friend said he would prep the young man about the double date, convincing her to call at a certain hour to confirm.
However, the friend failed to make the arrangements, so when Sister Fale called, she found herself in an awkward conversation with a guy she didn’t seem to know — and who didn’t know why she would be calling. In the end, “we went,” she said. “We had a good time.”
Added Elder Fale: “I’m really, really grateful she asked me out.”
But there’s more to the relationship’s awkward start, beginning with their first acquaintance on campus the previous year.
The twin sisters were looking forward to a beloved “uncle” taking them on a major shopping trip to buy school supplies and such at the semester’s start. But the uncle unexpectedly canceled at the last minute to go to the airport and collect a friend’s brother coming to campus from Tonga.
Yes, it was Elder Fale. And, yes, when the uncle introduced the twins to him several days later at BYU-Hawaii’s Aloha Center, it wasn’t a friendly “aloha.”
“Why would I want to meet the person, the reason our big Walmart trip was canceled?” Sister Fale recalled with a smile.
Said Elder Fale: “Every time we would cross paths, that same cold shoulder would come.”
So, on the night of the dinner-dance, Sister Fale’s twin got the first look at the mystery man. “Gaylene, you’re not going to like this,” she said. “Do you know that kid that Uncle Li had to go pick up? That’s your date.”
The Fales dated for five years — during which both served full-time missions — and married Dec. 27, 2002, in the Laie Hawaii Temple.
Called to serve
When Elder Fale submitted his application to serve a full-time mission, he left the on-campus interview with his stake president with the hope to be assigned anywhere but Tonga. But he immediately felt the Spirit say: “That’s not a good attitude to have. You don’t say: ‘I’ll serve anywhere except for — ; I’ll do anything but —.’"
Prompted to repent, he found an open classroom and knelt in prayer, saying: “Heavenly Father, I’ll go wherever. I’m OK with whatever.”
He said he recognized a softened heart and a prevailing feeling of peace. And when his call came to serve in the Tonga Nuku’alofa Mission? “When I opened that, it was just another confirmation that this is from the Lord.”
Elder Fale said that aside from an increased testimony of Jesus Christ and the Restoration, the greatest blessing of his mission was to serve with his mission president, who typically would assign Tongan missionaries to serve for a period in their ancestral or home villages.
“He would always say, ‘Lots of people get invited and assigned to go and preach the gospel to strangers,’” Elder Fale recalled. “You’ll have the blessing as a full-time missionary to share it with your family. … You’ll remember you had the blessing of teaching your family as a full-time missionary.”
In addition to serving in Tonga, Elder Fale spent six months on the small, self-governing island of Niue, located between Tonga and the Cook Islands. There he learned another language and worked with the Church’s four branches among the island population of about 2,000.
The Fale family
The Fales are the parents of five children. One daughter, Rachel, recently returned from the New Zealand Auckland Mission, and her sister, Elise, serves in the Canada Calgary Mission. Hutch, the oldest son, is in the Australia Sydney Mission speaking Mandarin, while the two younger brothers — Daniel and Calem — are in school in Provo.
The family enjoys playing games and taking road trips — not so much destination vacations but traveling to visit family members and attend family events near and far.
Besides sewing and spending time with her kids — “they are my hobbies” — Sister Fale has long been involved in Polynesian dancing and teaches it today. She performed at the Polynesian Cultural Center adjacent to the BYU-Hawaii campus as well as on PCC promotional dance teams that toured throughout Asia, including Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China.
Elder Fale says his hobbies are sports in general — particularly rugby and boxing. “And No. 3 might be eating — that’s a sport,” he quipped, adding that his favorite “event” would be lū, a Tongan dish with taro leaves, lamb, onions and coconut milk, cooked in an underground oven.
Testimony
Said Elder Fale of his testimony: “I know that Jesus lives. I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and all of His children. And I also know that They speak through Their living prophets on the earth today.
“I know that there is safety in remembering who we are and who our true identities are,” he said, adding: “I know He loves me. I know He loves you. And it’s my hope and prayer that we will never forget that.”
About Elder Hutch U. Fale
Family: Hutch ‘Unga Fale was born Aug. 22, 1979, in Provo, Utah, to Tevita “Hutch” Fale and Kim Corinne Kimball. He married Gaylene Rosarine Lilino of Suva, Fiji, on Dec. 27, 2002, in the Laie Hawaii Temple. They are the parents of five children.
Education: He received a joint Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science from Brigham Young University–Hawaii in June 2002. In April 2006, he received two postgraduate degrees from Brigham Young University — a Master of Public Administration from the Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics and a Juris Doctor from the J. Reuben Clark Law School.
Employment: He has been an attorney and partner in the Utah County law firm of Avery Burdsal & Fale.
Church service: At the time of his call, Elder Fale was serving as an Area Seventy in the Utah Area. His previous Church service includes as stake president, high councilor, bishop and served in the Tonga Nuku’alofa Mission. He has been assigned to be a member of the United States West Area presidency, effective Aug. 1.
