Earlier this week I attached the picture below to the bottom of a post.
Since then I realized that I haven't done much in the way of introducing the vocational school students to my readers back home. The guy that drew that picture is Vitalik. I went and got a picture of him tonight so that you could actually see his face. The first shot I took was without a shirt but I decided against posting it since I have some ladies that read this (one in particular who has a thing for Ukrainian guys) and I wanted to avoid any swooning.
When I said that the earlier picture was amazing, I used up the word which I needed to describe his self-styled shirt today. I have no idea how long it takes him to do these but this is his second in 3 or 4 days and it is exponentially more complicated and intricate than his first. Further, since I don't believe he is a Christian, I have no idea where he got this imagery.
Vitalik (or Choot Choot to Campbell) is from the small city of Armyansk in northern Crimea. He was in the Ukrainian navy - though he may have been more like a Marine - for 2 years before coming to HopeCenter. It took him to nearly all the nations that have a coast on the Black Sea and his military experience still shows. He loves to work out and as such, he is a beast when it comes to doing heavy lifting or demolition around camp. Despite this strength, he is a pretty kind guy and the only time I have seen him legitimately angry was when he felt like one of the guys was picking on his friend Igor unfairly (which is funny since Igor is easily the biggest guy here). His other friend Vlad told me that "Choot Choot" had seen a lot of violence in his life and he now avoids fighting if possible.
Vitalik (or Choot Choot to Campbell) is from the small city of Armyansk in northern Crimea. He was in the Ukrainian navy - though he may have been more like a Marine - for 2 years before coming to HopeCenter. It took him to nearly all the nations that have a coast on the Black Sea and his military experience still shows. He loves to work out and as such, he is a beast when it comes to doing heavy lifting or demolition around camp. Despite this strength, he is a pretty kind guy and the only time I have seen him legitimately angry was when he felt like one of the guys was picking on his friend Igor unfairly (which is funny since Igor is easily the biggest guy here). His other friend Vlad told me that "Choot Choot" had seen a lot of violence in his life and he now avoids fighting if possible.Vitalik gave me the shirt pictured above in trade for one of mine but I can't see myself ever wearing it. The marker/pen is probably not permanent so I may cut the drawing off and mount it in a frame when we get home.
Take a second and just look at this drawing....the symbolism, the detail, the beauty. Sarah and I were just discussing what an amazing thing these drawings are. Does he even realize what he's drawing or is the Lord just speaking through him? We hope to have some time to discuss all this before he leaves in a few weeks. Please be praying for him.
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How exactly does Choot Choot come out of Vitalik?
ReplyDeleteWhat a great talent, and an even better open door the Lord has given you to start a conversation!
Tell Vitalik that I'm am very impressed! It's amazing what the Lord can do through people without them even realizing it. We'll be praying for your ministry to him. You never know what can come out of it! We miss you guys!
ReplyDelete"Choot Choot" means "little" in Russian. It's like how we call big guys "Tiny". It's easier for Campbell to say and it's funny for us. I think Vitalik finds it endearing coming from Cam.
ReplyDeleteWhat about having Vitalik creating a design for Hope Center T-shirts that could be printed in the US? I think his images are intriguing- and those of us who love Hope Center could buy one! Barb F
ReplyDelete