Laurie Taylor

Laurie has been participating in mission activities since her early teen years as part of her church youth group.  One of the first mission trips, and one of her fondest memories of her Mother, was a trip to the eastern part of Kentucky where they conducted backyard bible clubs for the kids in a mountain community.  This trip was so inspirational for her and set a course for many more mission opportunities. 

Laurie has had the privilege of being part of backyard bible clubs, vacation bible schools, church choir trips, college evangelical teams, and other youth events in several states in the US.  She’s also traveled internationally to Moldova and to Costa Rica to share Christ’s love with children and adults alike.  She has included her own daughters in many of these trips as well.  But her heart is in Costa Rica with the people she first met there in 2011.

Since that time, Laurie and her family have formed strong bonds with the community of La Fortuna, Guanacaste.   It has been a privilege to be a part of the work in that area since her first trip there.  When Craig approached her with his ideas for Beyond the Known International, she was thrilled to be a part of the founding of the organization.

Laurie earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting in 1984 from Murray State University in Kentucky.  She moved to Texas shortly after her college graduation and has lived in Texas since that time.  She has worked in the finance organizations of local city government, privately held companies, and publicly traded companies.   She was the Chief Financial Officer for 3 years for a privately held telecom company and Chief Financial Officer for almost 10 years for a privately held energy company in Dallas from which she retired in 2019.

Laurie has been married to her husband Chuck since 2022.  As a blended family, they share two sons, two daughters, eight grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.  They live primarily in Texas where their daughters and a few of the grandchildren live.  But Laurie and Chuck do spend time in Colorado with their sons and remaining grandchildren. They have two dogs, Neil and Charlie, and love spending time together traveling, laughing, reading, playing Yahtzee, and being still.

Joshua 24:15 says in part, “…choose you this day whom you will serve.  But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”  It is Laurie’s and Chuck’s desire to be faithful in their service, faithful with their time, faithful with their resources.  Beyond the Known International is an organization that allows for those words “as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” to have hands and feet.  The Taylor’s are truly blessed to be a part of this work.