Vanessa Goosen: Drug muled and sentenced to death in a Thai prison

How does a young woman with a promising future – a Miss South Africa semi-finalist and successful business owner – end up behind bars in a foreign prison for 16 years? Her journey is heartbreaking, yet through the pain, it becomes clear that God’s hand never left her. In this interview, Vanessa shares openly about her arrest, the anguish of giving birth in prison, and the struggle of saying goodbye to her daughter. Her story is raw, but it’s also a powerful testimony of God’s mercy, grace, and the healing that comes through forgiveness.

Q Vanessa, can you take us back to the day of your arrest in Thailand? What was going through your mind in those first few moments of realising something had gone terribly wrong?
It’s hard to put into words. I was very scared and far from home. What made it worse was that I didn’t speak the language, so I didn’t understand what they were saying. There were drugs hidden in books – books that weren’t mine. I was just doing a favour for a friend, bringing engineering books from his brother in Thailand. I had no idea that drugs could be smuggled that way. It was shocking – the books looked completely normal. I was ignorant of how drugs were trafficked, and I was devastated. My mind was racing. I didn’t know what to do…

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What is the judgement seat of Christ?

The judgement seat of Christ involves a time in the future when believers will give an account of themselves to Christ. It will be a time of examination and a time of reward. Jesus will inspect our works. What did we do with the resources God gave us? How faithful were we? Were we yielded to the Spirit, seeking to honour Christ and further His work in the world? If so, we will have reward. Did we neglect our opportunities to serve the Lord? If so, we will suffer loss of reward…

Absent fathers: South Africa’s silent emergency

In South Africa, we are faced with the sobering contradiction between the ideal and the reality. On the one hand, fatherhood is meant to honour the gift and calling of men who lead, protect, nurture, and build strong families – the foundational building blocks of our society. Yet, in a country plagued by some of the highest rates of gender-based violence (GBV) in the world, this often exposes a painful truth: the absence, silence, and abdication of fathers is a national crisis where women and children are paying the price.

Today, more than 60% of South African children grow up without their biological fathers in the home. For many, the word “father” does not evoke feelings of safety or love, but rather silence, absence, and abandonment…

Where was the Garden of Eden?

Where exactly was the Garden of Eden? The Bible describes it at the headwaters of four rivers – two of which still flow today. Archaeological and genetic research points to a location in modern-day Türkiye that matches the biblical account. In this fascinating feature, Dr Michael Jarvis combines science, history, and Scripture to explore one of the greatest mysteries of all time. Discover how recent findings confirm what God’s Word has told us all along – Eden was a real place, planted by the Lord Himself…