My name is Ba Bler, but most people know me as Bobbi. I was born in Myanmar and a few months later my family had to flee because of the war that was happening in Myanmar. We settled in Thailand Refugee Camp. When I was 10, we moved again to the United States through the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in the hope of a better life and a better education for my family.  When we first arrived in Akron, we didn’t know anyone or know the language. We were very overwhelmed. Even though it was hard for my parent to move to a different country where they had no idea what was in store for them, they trusted in God to see them through because they wanted to have a better future for their children.   

My parents were always believers, and they have shown that throughout their lives. They always tried to implant the belief in us. I’ve always known about God and Jesus and what He has done for us, but I never truly understood what He wants from me and experienced Him. That all changed during a summer discipleship week with Urban Vision. We had to go out into the neighborhood and share the gospel with children. That summer I encountered Jesus and made Him my very own. I truly got to experience the gospel and from then on, I was able to live it out.  

Throughout the programs and services here at Urban Vision, I found out that I liked working with kids, so I went to school to get my degree in Early Childhood Education and now I am leading the On Your Mark Preschool here at Urban Vision. I know what it is like to be trying to figure out English in school. When I first started to come to Urban Vision in 5th grade, I was one of the first few Karen kids that was invited to come to UV when they first moved into the church. Since I didn’t know English that well, I struggled to do my homework and my parents were not able to help me, but Urban Vision was a place where we could go after school to get help with our homework. Now I get to lay the foundation for students to know English before they even get to Kindergarten!  

Living in North Hill, I love that our community is diverse with many nationalities. I love that I can go to different restaurants to try many different types of food and not have to travel far. For me, it’s a joy to see different people try each other's food and learn about each other's culture. I also love to see people walking and biking around the neighborhood or children playing outside with their neighbors. I would like to continue to see our neighborhood coming together to celebrate our differences, and I hope that Urban Vision will be the bridge that connects all cultures through Jesus.  

Every day, I am proud of the work that God is calling us to do because I know that it has a great impact on our community and our students’ lives. I know that because it did impact me when I was younger, and I want to give back and do the same thing for our current students. I want to see our community thrive and for our community to grow together richly in love and to be able to share resources and the love of God.