Just imagine having to sleep outside with no place to call a home. The rain is pouring down, weakening and chilling your body, yet no one will even allow you under any shelter. You may not even have a blanket to cover yourself or sandals on your feet to protect your infected wounds. As the rain beats down, it creates large ponds of water, oozing with animal and human waste, that you can not escape from. Not only do you experience the extreme physical suffering but the painful emotional wounds of knowing that no ones cares. Independent Church in India does care and they want to thank everyone from the bottom of their hearts for attending and supporting their first annual banquet. Without caring people that are praying for and supporting this ministry, many unfortunate people with the dreaded disease of leprosy would have never experienced the love and care of others and the chance to hear the wonderful plan of salvation that God has for their lives. Around seventy people came to have a buffet-style dinner and to learn about the next project of ICII to build home for homeless lepers. We at ICII wish to give special thanks to Lonnie Brinkley and Louise Ludwig from Big Bear Candle Company in Intercourse, PA. We so appreciate their generous donations of banquet food and of the beautiful handmade candles that were personally auctioned by Lonnie to help cover the food cost. Lonnie also cooked some wonderful Italian food. The candle auction completely paid for all the food and more. Our special thanks is to the Fairland Brethren In Christ Church for donating the use of their hall for the banquet. We also thank the two Indian couples that cooked the Indian food. The funds raised at the banquet for the leprosy colony project was $2,845. This will be a good start toward purchasing land to build the colony. Not only is the ministry growing in India, but we thank God that the team has grown here in the US as well. On the newly organized board of directors are missionaries Lowell and Kathy Smith and Joann Hauer as the treasurer.