Indiana Metropolitan Police Department Officer Michael Price reportedly discovered that his Bible remained whole and intact even though his home in Fountaintown was burned to the ground two days before Christmas.
Faithwire said Price, who lost all his family had in the fire, revealed to WXIN-TV the "shocking" discovery while showing the Bible that has been with his family for decades, stating that it was untarnished.
The Bible was found days after the fire when Price was looking for something to salvage from their property. Price found the Bible inside the nightstand drawer.
"There's not even a mark on the pages," he remarked.
Price underscored in an interview with WISH-TV how discovering the Bible intact has changed how he views his faith.
"It opened my eyes real well. I mean, we've always been big believers and everything, but that, to me, means a whole lot," Price said.
Price narrated that he, his son, and his girlfriend actually were at an Indiana Pacers game that they had to leave when they received the call that their home was on fire. Price said they saw the flames had already consumed the middle of the house when they arrived, while "both sides were still up, but they were engulfed."
"It was about halftime at the game, and we got the call. A relative drove by because he lives close, and him and the neighbors called saying, 'Your house is fully engulfed.'" Price told WTHR-TV.
The 14-year police officer called the experience "tough" as he had to accept being a "victim" at that point in time, after being accustomed to attend to emergencies throughout his career. He said he did not only lose his house and everything in it including his handcuffs, gun, and duty belt, but also their dog Gus.
"Unfortunately, it was way too gone at that point. You literally just watch everybody do their job, and you sit back as the victim this time," Price shared.
"You think you want to run in and save what you can. Pets, we had a pet in there," he added.
Nonetheless, Price expressed gratitude that he did not lose any member of his family because the rest of his kids were also not at home when the fire happened.
"It's tough every day you come out and you are thinking, 'Oh yeah, that was in there and this was in there.' Those are the things that kind of sting because you can never replace that, but we will rebuild," Price disclosed.
"We did lose a lot of material stuff; it's everything you have. You have to start over, but the best thing is nobody was home, and we still have what's important to us," he stressed.
Price and his family are staying with relatives while waiting for their insurance and the results of the investigation on the cause of the fire. The Professional Police Officers Credit Union have setup a fund for Price to assist him in this difficult time. A GoFundMe was also setup for him and his family. In addition to that, many people are showing him and his family support and care, which Price said gives him hope.
"When something hits you at home, and then the response we've gotten that really just hang on it's not exactly how you've been seeing it. There's plenty of people out there that really have your back," Price said.
