Kris Belcher may not be able to see the sun but she can use it to guide her by paying attention to its warmth.

She told an audience of more than 3,300 women Saturday, Nov. 14, that it's the same with Christ.

He encourages righteous behavior with warmth and love.

"I knew if I turned my heart to the Savior, I would be all right," Belcher said.

Belcher is one of the presenters with Time Out for Women -- an event sponsored by Deseret Book that finished its 19-city 2009 tour in Salt Lake City Nov. 13-14.

Belcher told her story of faith, tears and trial before an audience Saturday who stood to applaud her when she finished.

Despite serious medical problems that began when she was seven months old and ultimately cost her both eyes and tested her will, Belcher has retained a sense of humor and sweet humility that touches the hearts of those who hear her stories.

"I don't make these up," she said, after telling a series of funny stories about people who've asked her if she is teaching her children sign language so they can talk to her, finding her way in a canyon outhouse and dealing with a visitor in her home after her prothestic eye popped out onto the floor.

She described the anger and frustration she has felt as tumors plagued her and major surgeries took their toll.

"After fighting for my life for six months, I had to go live and I didn't want to. I thought they'd taken my personality with the eye," Belcher said. "I didn't feel strong. I couldn't handle it. It took a long time to be able to be stable physically and emotionally."

Belcher said she takes some issue with people saying the Lord wouldn't give her more than she could handle.

"Of course Heavenly Father would give me things I couldn't handle. Why else would I need the Savior?" she said. "With time and with the healing of the Savior, I found joy again. I wanted light. I needed His light. I know that Jesus Christ is the light of this world."

Belcher said she relies on three gospel principles to get through her days in physical darkness: grace, hope and faith in Christ's atonement and resurrection.

She described learning to get around Salt Lake City with a cane and her ears. Her teacher told her the warmth of the sun could help her define her direction and she likened that to living by the spirit.

"In life, stop and ask yourself, am I listening to the Son? If so, you are going in the right direction," she said.

E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com