DENVER — A 31-year-old man is more than halfway through his mission to become the youngest person to visit all 417 National Park Service sites in the United States.
Mikah Meyer embarked on the journey 18 months ago. Since then he’s visited 221 sites. He still has 196 to go.
“My dad was a big fan of road trips. Often times he would joke that if he hadn’t been a pastor he may have been a trucker,” said Meyer.
A major part of the reason Meyer started this adventure was to honor his father, Larry, who passed away 11 years ago.
“I wake up everyday doing something that I know is bigger than myself and it’s helping the world. And I know my dad did that every day that he woke up and he went to his job as a Lutheran Campus Pastor,” he said.
“Micah is someone who lives life to the fullest and Larry did that as well,” explained Brigette Weier, a Pastor at Bethany Lutheran.
As an openly gay Christian man, Meyer is also trying to inspire LGBTQ youth to never give up. He’s reminded to never give up on his own journey when he receives messages from followers. Like the one he received from a 15-year-old student at a private Baptist school in Texas:
“He said, ‘I’m not out to anyone. But I saw your journey and I saw your story and I know I can be who I am – and not only that I can be ordinary, but I can be extraordinary’,” Meyer said with a smile on his face. “And when that happens you forget about the troubles, you forget about the trials of the road – and you keep going.”
Meyer is traveling the country by himself. He fundraises by singing and giving sermons at churches in the areas he visits.
He’ll be performing at Bethany Lutheran (Cherry Hills) on Sunday, September 24th during the 8:15a.m. and 10:15am. services. The church is located at: 4500 E Hampden Ave, Cherry Hills Village, CO 80113
To learn more about Meyer’s story, select ‘play’ on the video above to watch Kevin Torres‘ Unique 2 Colorado segment on Mikah.