HODGENVILLE, Ky. – Jody Perry, jailer at the Larue County (Ky.) Detention Center, called Sunday (Aug. 24) one of the “top ten days of my life.”

Perry, in his third year as jailer, baptized 18 inmates and two staff members in a cattle trough at the jail.

“I’ve been in this business 15 years and I’ve never seen it,” he said.

“God’s moving in this jail and He’s moving all the way through it… this has been a prayer on my heart for months that we’d have a revival in here” Perry said.

Shortly after being elected jailer, Perry realized a need and went to work. He first increased the regularity of church services, which then gathered three days a week.

“Me being a Christian man, I said that was unacceptable. I said I want to expand this … now we have a Bible study or church service in this jail seven days a week,” he said.

Volunteer Chaplain Wade Sams began work around the time Perry was elected and was recently named the official chaplain. Sams, a former heroin addict who gave his life to Christ in 2006, filled a hole the jail desperately needed filled.

Along with weekly Wednesday night group meetings, Sams routinely holds individual meetings with inmates and remains on call during the week.

“Being a 20-year heroin addict, I know what it’s like to be addicted to something … where the drug is your god and your lord and your everything. Whenever I speak to them, I speak to them from their perspective,” Sams said.

Sams, who was convicted of drug possession and drug trafficking in the early 2000s, also leads a ministry for substance abuse recovery at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church in Magnolia, Ky. His history of drug abuse, jail time and trusting the Lord created a calling to share the gospel he couldn’t refuse.

“There was no inspiration, there was a calling, as loud as loud can be,” Sams said. “There’s no doubt. I ran from it for a little while but that didn’t turn out real good for me neither.”

Perry, inspired by similar stories of baptisms in other jails in the area, purchased the cattle trough last summer.

“Today is the reaping of sown seeds,” Perry wrote in a social media post. “The weather was absolutely gorgeous. It is moments like this that validate our mission here, our goal is to return better citizens to society. What better citizen can a society have than a Christian? My heart is so full right now having experienced today’s baptisms and seeing the unabashed joy on the faces of those inmates as they were raised from the water. All I can say is Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — This article originally appeared in Kentucky Today.)