What do Others Have to Say About Gayle?
"We've had the pleasure of having Grannie, Corrie, and Gayle speak and perform on several occasions at our church and at our main campus in Naperville. Grannie was a big hit at our Easter ‘Kids Eggstra Fun Night’ as she captivated over 100 kids, their parents, and myself, with stories, a craft, and a meaningful explanation of Easter. Corrie ministered to our Women's Bible study and have had multiple testimonies of how powerful that time was. Gayle has been our keynote speaker several times at women's events and has shared with such effectiveness, that she is continually requested. We will definitely have all three of these wonderful women back!"
-Pastor Russ Hurst, Assembly of God, Calvary Naperville Church (West), Sugar Grove, IL
"Corrie ten Boom (alias Gayle Haas) came to my home over the Christmas Holiday to share with our dinner guests. We had promised my husband's co-workers live entertainment. They were quite surprised and delighted with Mrs. Haas reenactment of Corrie and the wonderful way she captured the essence of the character. Our guests were very surprised to find out Gayle was not Dutch. God has given Gayle the unique ability to portray her characters so realistically that no one would believe she is acting. Whether she is Corrie or Grannie, her message is wonderfully presented leaving the audience wanting more."
-Cindy Huff, President of Word Weavers of Aurora, Christian Writers Guild, Aurora, IL
"Corrie ten Boom came to this year's volunteer appreciation brunch for Hope Life Pregnancy Center in Sterling, IL. She was a surprise guest and such a delight to all present. She walked right out of the history books to bless us with her story and words of encouragement. Besides sharing details of her life as a young girl growing up in Holland in a loving Christian home and the trials of helping the persecuted Jews during WWll, she used her story to teach the value and preciousness of all life even those who treated them so badly. She made her presentation come alive while showing its pertinence to our ministry!! Gayle, thank-you for sharing your gift with us!!"
-Pat Gaumer, Executive Director, Hope Life Center, Sterling, IL
Gayle’s portrayal of Corrie is iron willed, focused and riveting; a historical characterization so complete with facts, along with family photos, that some have thought she is the real person! Combine that image with the dry wit, honesty, plain talk and refusal to give up on God and you have a force whose voice speaks to us still. Gayle transports her audience back to another time and place when they have a ‘Visit with Grannie Carter’. A folksy down-home personality, Grannie, has won a special place in my heart forever. When you see her for the first time, you will feel that you have known her forever! Gayle Haas . . . is the real deal. . . she is NOT BE BE MISSED!!!
-E.R. Hibbs, Producer/Editor, Total Living Network
We invited Gayle to Benedictine University to perform Corrie ten Boom. The presentation was amazing! The power with which she communicated Corrie’s story was moving. The message of forgiveness and the depth of Gayle's knowledge makes the entire presentation believable and personal. The faculty, staff, and students were inspired and Benedictine University will be inviting her back.
-Dr. Vincent Gaddis, Professor of History, Benedictine University
Gayle Haas is a remarkable woman of God with a remarkable talent. She has the unique ability to take a character which is ordinary and breathe her own life into it and perform the extraordinary. Gayle also has the ability to enhance the unique characteristics of each of the characters in her repertoire to the extent that those in the audience become emotionally involved in the scene. One may experience tears or joy but will not remain the same. I have had the privilege of being in the audience while Gayle has performed both characters of 'Corrie ten Boom' and 'Grannie'. Each of those characters still linger in my mind to this day. I highly recommend inviting Gayle Haas to perform in your church, school, or civic auditorium.
-John Dean, Elijah International Ministries, San Antonio, Texas
Gayle Haas has the rare ability to convince an audience, not only that they have seen a powerful performance, but that they have even met the character being portrayed, personally. This ability comes from Gayle’s dedication to research her craft, but more – it’s a gift –and it’s quite unique!
-Bill Davidson, Pastor/Missionary, Church of the King, Queensbury, New York
Comments from Junior High School Students where Gayle has had the privilege to share Corrie’s story as they studied the Holocaust:
I thought that the “Corrie ten Boom” presentation was quite spectacular. Gayle Haas did an outstanding job portraying a brave female from the past. The Holocaust was such a gruesome time in our history. It’s a touchy subject when talking about it. Most people will refuse to bring it to light, but Ms. Haas took a chance just to inform the new generation. Number one, her accent was spot on. Number two, her facts were 100% believable and interesting. Her performance was super convincing. The story she told was amazing, and she told it with such enthusiasm that I really felt like I was experiencing it. I felt like I was in Holland during the time of the disaster. In short, the performance was incredible, and Gayle Haas was a wonderfully pleasant woman to be around.
Solei S. - Junior High School Student
My reaction to Gayle Haas’s portrayal of Corrie ten Boom was that I liked her performance. She was an amazing actor and everything was on point. Her accent, her clothes, the items she brought with, and even Corrie's background story she portrayed. I liked her very in-depth background of “her” and “her family”. It was very informational and even sad to hear everything they went through. Aside from her portrayal, I found it interesting about what the ten Boom family did to provide safety in their watch shop for Jews and others that were being sent to concentration camps. I liked how they had almost a secret code or language. I also enjoyed hearing how she was a religious leader and did her best to teach people no matter what was going on during the time. Something I remember is that Corrie always taught people to forgive others, no matter what happened. Overall, it was an amazing performance. Despite the sad plot in the portrayal, I got a couple laughs out of Gayle’s acting and loved it overall.
Carter H. - Junior High School Student