Thursday, October 10, 2019 from Gene

Today (Thursday) was our most productive day this week.  With Team Three now totally familiar with the scope of work, we’ve broken into multiple teams and are really seeing a lot accomplished.  Over the past several days the following work has been accomplished:

• Construction on a roof covering the PowerPac and Battery Container is complete
  
• Wire management on five of the six solar arrays is complete.  The remaining array will be completed Friday.
  
• A ground grid has been installed around the PowerPac.
• A ditch was dug from the PowerPac to the solar array field (approximately 250’).  Eight conduits and a ground wire have been installed in the ditch.
  

• A thirty-five foot platform has been constructed inside the Battery Container for supporting fifteen 400lb. batteries.
  
  Darrel, Ken, and Mike T setting battery boxes on the newly installed racks
  
• Five conduits connecting the PowerPac and Battery Container have been installed.  Twelve conductors along with a communication cable have been installed in each one.  Friday, thirty battery cabinets will be set in place and the conductors will be connected.
• Two sets of steps have been constructed for easy access into both containers.
• Support brackets for six PV Inverters have been installed on the outside wall of the PowerPac in preparation for hanging the inverters.
  
  Ed and Darrel working on an AC combiner panel on the outside of the PowerPac (for the purpose of combining the AC output of the six PV inverters).
  
  

The support staff of local workers have been busy digging and back filling ditches,  pulling conductors, installing ground rods, and assisting in any other way that we request.  They have been amazing!

The women have been very busy supporting the team in many ways:

• Hand delivering tools, water, messages, etc.
• Cooking many savory things, like bacon cheeseburgers (no small task to find hamburger rolls), fresh cookies, pudding, and other desserts!
• Planning meals and going to market as needed, which also means learning to hire and ride a tut tut!

Deb with Lauren in town

We are thankful for your continued prayers for safety and efficiency as we work.  Tonight we are looking forward to a couple guests at our dinner table.  Tonight Betty Overton of Friends of Hope Africa University will share with our team some of the rich history of the university as well as a peek into the vision of the university from the planning conference she just attended.  Next week, our other guest, Lois Meredith who volunteers as an accountant here several times each year (for sometimes many weeks at a time) will share some insights and rich memories of her times in Burundi over the past 50 or so years.

Bless you all for keeping up with us and for praying!