The building shown is the dining and kitchen building, which houses the missionaries on the second floor, and has a third floor of meeting rooms that will be used for training. (In Kenya, the floors are called Ground, then 1st, then second. Missionary housing is said to be on the first floor, while dining is on the ground floor.) Construction in Kenya is quite different than most in the US. All walls are built with bricks that are later concreted over with a smooth finish. Even interior walls are the same. The supporting structure is reinforced concrete beams poured in place. Doors and windows are steel, welded onsite.
I am in several of the WhatsApp group chats that are used by the construction team to communicate progress back to Alex and Amber Brickner, as well as one another. The leadership team is impressive, comprised of various engineers and managers. Alex and Amber were very instrumental in getting them to function better as a team while the Brickners were in Kenya, and now that they have returned to the States, Amber continues to bring accountability through WhatsApp. I will transition into this role when I arrive.
Boaz, the Electrical Engineer, and I are designing the solar system intended to augment the power grid, which is on about half the time. Years ago, I worked for Mike Newman, owner of Energy Labs in Jacksonville, FL. I helped build and install solar thermal systems used to heat water. We also did some photovoltaic (solar electric) work, and later I designed and built an off-grid system to run a deep well pump at Omega Ranch, north of Orlando. Who would have thought God would have used this to prepare me for a missionary role?!
When we moved up to Crestview to help with my dad, we brought mobile buildings in and hooked them up to his septic system, but the old system was not big enough to handle our family. I bought and installed a 1750 gallon septic tank with a big drain field. I built it all to code, asking lots of questions and learning about sewer systems. Who would have thought that this would help me understand the design of the system in Kenya. God appears to have prepared me for the Kenya mission for many years without me having an idea of what He was doing.