Sister Allred said she became converted socially, culturally and spiritually when she joined the church at age 15. Her mother was called as a local Relief Society president soon after her conversion, she said, "and she was about to die. She didn't know what to do."

Her mother asked Sister Allred to serve as her secretary in Relief Society when she was only 16, and the experience left her with a lasting love for the organization, she said.

She and her husband have served in mission leadership positions in Madrid, Spain, and Asuncion, Paraguay, and most recently presided over the Missionary Training Center in the Dominican Republic.

"I have loved every country we have lived in," she said. "I feel like I belong." Although pleased and challenged with the new calling, she said she was just as happy to "be a visiting teacher."

Sister Thompson has worked in social services and has directed a number of state social services agencies, including those that focus on family needs. She is an official with Christmas Box International, a charity focused on abused and neglected children.

She said that in her travels around the church, she has met women in many different circumstances who are devoted and righteous and who care deeply about their families. Although she has not married and has no children, she said, "I have borrowed them."

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