How can a robbery half a world away make you aware of angels and miracles?
LDS violinist Jenny Oaks Baker experienced theft, heartache, and miracles during the filming of her latest music video, "Ode to Joy."
While traveling through Europe with her family, Baker's car was broken into while the family made a quick 30-minute stop at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. “We were horrified. Our luggage, instruments, purses, and backpacks were gone. The kids screamed and just burst into tears,” Baker said.
The family lost laptops, clothes, passports, a cello, keyboard, sheet music, and more. But Baker's priceless violin, which she describes as "her musical soul," remained untouched along with her daughter's violin and her son's guitar.
But her daughter Sarah’s cherished cello was gone.
“As I said my prayers that night, I thanked Heavenly Father for keeping a few of our most prized possessions safe. I know an army of angels had been sent to protect my violins,” Baker says.
But then another miracle was about to take place. When the Bakers first arrived in Europe, they quickly discovered Sarah's cello had been broken, so they sent it to violin maker Mathias Menanteau to fix.
Later, when the thieves tried to sell the cello to some of the very same shops the Baker family had taken it to be repaired, a friend of Menanteau's recognized the instrument and made sure it was returned to its proper owners.
The Baker family learned about the recovery of Sarah's cello while filming the music video, "Ode to Joy."
Reflecting on this experience, Baker understands that God often sends us small miracles to help us navigate difficult times in our lives. “Sometimes these miracles are so spectacular that they can make all our other troubles fade away,” Baker added. “This is what happened to our family! I’m just in awe.”
"For me, the message of 'Ode to Joy' is that God is there, and that even though we will go through trials in this life, through these trials he will be ever near, showering down great blessings upon us. Recognizing God's hands in our lives will bring us great joy!" Baker told Deseret News.
Lead image from jennyoaksbaker.com. All other photos courtesy of Jenny Oaks Baker.
For more music from Jenny Oaks Baker as well as her collaborations with Condoleezza Rice, Lexi Walker, GENTRI, and Kurt Bestor, check out her newest CD, Awakening.
