TRIP. I UNDERSTAND HES CHANGING LIVES
ALONG THE WAY.
>> HE SURE IS, GOOD MORNING, YALL. SURE IS, GOOD MORNING,
YALL.
MIKE MEYER WAS INSPIRED BY HIS
LATE FATHERS LOVE FOR THE ROAD
AND HIS DEVOTION TO GOD.
BUT HIS FAITH HAS TAKEN HIM ON A WHOLE DIFFERENT JOURNEY.HIM ON A
WHOLE DIFFERENT JOURNEY. >> THESE ARE EXPERIENCES YOU CAN
ONLY HAVE BY STANDING AT THAT
MOUNTAINTOP AND LOOKING AROUND,
STARING OUT INTO GODS CREATION
AND SEEING THE SPLENDOR. >> MICAH MEYER IS NO STRANGER TO
LIFE ON THE ROAD.
THE 32-YEAR-OLD ADVENTURER HAS
SEEN IT ALL FROM THE HEIGHTS OF
THE GRAND CANYON TO THE DEPTHS OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN.HE DEPTHS
OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. ITS ALL A POTART OF HIS EFFORT
SET A WORLD RECORD AS HE TRAVELS
TO EVERY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
SIGHT IN THE COUNTRY, ALL 417 OF
THEM, IN ONE TRIP.
>> SO THIS HAS BEEN YOUR HOME
FOR THE LAST --
>> FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, YEAH. I SLEEP IN PARKING LOTS AND HAVE
DRIVEN OVER 44,000 MILES IN THIS
SUCKER.
SUCKER.
>> AND THIS IS YOUR MAP OF YOUR JOURNEY?HIS IS YOUR MAP OF YOUR
JOURNEY?
>> IN THE LAST TWO YEARS MICAH HAS TRAVELED NONSTOP IN HIS VAN,
VISITING MORE THAN 300 NATIONAL
PARK SITES, COAST TO COAST.
HE HAS ONE MORE YEAR TO GO.
ITS A TRIP INSPIRED BY MICAHS
FATHER, LARRY, A LUTHER RAN
MINISTER WITH A LOVE FOR THE
OPEN ROAD.
OPEN ROAD. HE PASSED AWAY WHEN MICAH WAS
JUST 19 YEARS OLD.
>> IT JUST TOTALLY CHANGED MY PERSPECTIVE AS FAR AS TOMORROW
IS NOT GUARANTEED.
MY DAD OFTEN JOKED IF HE HADNT
BEEN A PASTOR, HE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN A TRUCKER BECAUSE HELD
HAVE BEEN A TRUCKER BECAUSE HE JUST LOVED DRIVING SO MUCH.
>> BEING ON THE ROAD WITH HIM
WERE SOME OF YOUR FONDEST
MEMORIES.
MEMORIES.
>> UH-HUH.
>> DO YOU FEEL LIKE HES ALONG WITH YOU ON THIS JOURNEY?LONG
WITH YOU ON THIS JOURNEY? >> TOTALLY.
>> TOTALLY. I MEAN THE LIFE VALUES I WOULD
HAVE GAINED WITH HIM ON THOSE
ROAD TRIPS, I HOPE IM ABLE TO
PICK UP THROUGH THE PEOPLE I
MEET AND EXPERIENCES I HAVE.
>> BUT OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS,
MICAHS MISSION HAS GROWN INTO
MORE THAN JUST HONORING HIS DAD
OR BREAKING A WORLD RECORD.
HES SETTING OUT TO BUILD
BRIDGES.
BRIDGES.
>> SO WHAT THEYRE GOING TO DO -- WHAT THEYRE GOING TO
DO -- >> HE BEGAN SHARING HIS
ADVENTURES ONLINE.
ADVENTURES ONLINE. MICAH KEPT A SECRET, ONE HE WAS
AFRAID THAT WOULD COST HIM
PEOPLES SUPPORT.
PEOPLES SUPPORT. >> YOU ARE GAY.
>> MM-HMM.
>> MM-HMM. >> WAS IT HARD THE WAY YOU WERE
RAISED TO COME OUT?
>> IT WAS SUPER HARD.
I MEAN THEY SAY YOU HAVE TO
CHOOSE, YOU CAN EITHER BE GAY
AND YOU CANT BE A CHRISTIAN OR
YOU CAN BE A CHRISTIAN AND YOU
HAVE TO STAY IN THE CLOSET.
I SPENT MY WHOLE LIFE PRAYING
THAT GOD WOULD KEEP ME FROM
BEING GAY.
BEING GAY. THE ANSWER I KEPT GETTING BACK
FROM GOD THROUGH PRAYER IS ITS
OKAY, STOP ASKING.
ITS OKAY, BE WHO YOU ARE.
I LOVE YOU AS YOU ARE.
>> THE WORLD CAN KNOW THAT THEY
ARE WELCOME TO BE WHO GOD MADE
THEM TO BE.
>> MICAH DECIDED TO START
VISITING CHURCHES ALONG HIS
TRIP.
AS HE STEPPED ONTO THE PULPIT, HE STEPPED OUT ON FAITH ANDIT,
HE STEPPED OUT ON FAITH AND BEGAN SHARING HIS STORY.
>> IVE BEEN AT SOME CHURCHES
WHERE THE PASTOR SAID WE NEVER
TALKED ABOUT LGBT ISSUES IN OUR
CHURCH.
CHURCH.
YOULL BE THE FIRST PERSON MAYBE THEY HAVE EVER KNOWN WHOS ANYBE
THEY HAVE EVER KNOWN WHOS AN OPENLY GAY CHRISTIAN.
♪ IN THIS LIFE WEVE COME SO
FAR
FAR >> THE RESPONSE WAS POWERFUL.
PEOPLE EMBRACED HIS MESSAGE OF
GODS INCLUSIVE LOVE.
>> PEOPLE COME UP TO ME CRYING
AND THEY SAY MY DAUGHTER IS A
LESBIAN OR MY NEPHEW IS GAY OR
MY UNCLE IS TRANSGENDER AND THEY
POUR OUT THEIR HEARTS TO ME
BECAUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME MAYBE
IN THEIR CHURCH THEY FELT
ALLOWED TO.
ALLOWED TO.
>> MICAH IS LIVING HIS STORY AND
BRINGING SOME HEALING TO OTHERS WHO HAVE FELT AN ESTRANGEMENTRS
WHO HAVE FELT AN ESTRANGEMENT FROM THIS PLACE THAT IS SUPPOSED
TO BE SO WELCOMING.
>> HOW HAS YOUR FAITH GUIDED YOU
THROUGH THIS ENTIRE PROCESS?
>> WHEN I BEGAN THIS, PEOPLE
TOLD ME IT COULDNT BE DONE.
HAVING THE FAITH THAT I COULD BE
WHO I WAS AND STILL DO THIS
PROJECT AND THAT PEOPLE WOULD
EMBRACE IT AND THAT IT WOULD
CHANGE LIVES --
>> MAKES YOU FEEL PRETTY GOOD.
>> ITS A HUMBLING AND AWESOME
EXPERIENCE.
EXPERIENCE.
>> THOUGH MICAH NEVER HAD THE CHANCE TO COME OUT TO HIS THE
CHANCE TO COME OUT TO HIS FATHER, HE SAYS HIS DAD WOULD BE
PROUD OF WHO HE IS TODAY.
>> HES JUST IN HEAVEN LAUGHING
BECAUSE HIS SON WHO SWORE HED
NEVER BE A MINISTER IS BASICALLY
LEADING MINISTRY ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
NOW IM ABLE TO FOLLOW HIS
FOOTSTEPS AND HELP PROVIDE A WORLD OF INCLUSION FOR PEOPLE
WHO DONT SEE THEMSELVES
OTHERWISE.
OTHERWISE.
>> A WORLD MICAH IS DISCOVERING
AND CREATING, ONE BOLD AND
FAITH-FILLED STEP AT A TIME.
MICAH SAYS ITS BEEN SUCH A
POWERFUL FEELING NOT ONLY TO BE ACCEPTED BUT ALSO CELEBRATED BY
HIS FAITH AND HE WANTS OTHER GAY
CHRISTIANS TO FEEL THE SAME.
HE STILL HAS ANOTHER YEAR TO GO,
YALL, ON HIS JOURNEY AND MORE
PEOPLE TO MEET AND TO INSPIRE.
IF YALL WANT TO FOLLOW ALONG,
GO TO TODAY.COM TO HEAR MORE
ABOUT HIS JOURNEY.
>> REMARKABLE.
>> REMARKABLE. >> HE IS INCREDIBLE.
>> ITS A GREAT STORY.
>> IT TOOK A LOT OF COURAGE.