by Sr. Margaret Anne Meyer MMM                   USA                                  15.03.2025

It seemed like such a flurry. Returning from my father’s funeral in New York and venturing to the airport a few days later to begin my first mission trip to Uganda.  I do not recall packing but have a vid memory of Mother Mary.  She had a big smile on her face when she gave me a chocolate mouse eating a piece of cheese.  She said, ‘Bring this to the Sisters, dear, this will make them laugh.’   The next day I was off to London to get my visa for Uganda.

At that time, we had no house in Ealing, so I stayed with the Sisters of the Cross and Passion. They were truly kind and the next day I was brought to Victoria Station and knew that the Ugandan Embassy was somewhere in the vicinity. I had several hours to spare before my appointment in the Ugandan Embassy. As I was near Westminster Cathedral, I ventured in to make a visit for an hour with the Lord. Then I spied a Kentucky Grill and ordered a big piece of Mississippi Pizza for 40 p. I remember thinking that that was around 8 shillings in the former counting of English money. Anyway, it certainly tasted good. Then I sauntered over to Westminster Abbey and saw so many statues of renowned English men who had made history eons ago. Soon I passed Big Ben and the chimes sounded beautiful and clear as I walked by and soon found myself at the Ugandan Embassy where I speedily collected my visa and then proceeded to the Queens Art Gallery The security guard asked me if I were a student and I told him, “no”. He replied well you look like one, so he gave me free admission. One painting on the wall was more exquisite than the other but after a while I found a lovely lady in a painting called “Agatha”. I bought the postcard print of Agatha and sent it to Mom.

Then it was time to get the plane to Amsterdam. I took the Underground to the airport and when I got off; I did not know where to go. My father told me to follow the crowd and half the crowd went to the left and half took an elevator. I thought I would like to try the elevator and could not believe how my prayer to Daddy for direction was answered when I got off right in front of the locker where I had placed my luggage upon arrival to London. I was so relieved to say the least. Thank you, Daddy.

The plan was to meet Sr. Dr. Maureen O’Mahoney in Amsterdam and from there we would travel together to East Africa. This was my first missionary journey, and I felt a little prepared because one of the student nurses in the IMTH, Jane —– had been teaching me Luganda. To my dismay, a Luganda word for king, Kabaka, was on the front headlines of the paper we received on the KLM plane bounded for Uganda. “KABAKA Is Overthrown”. I knew that meant there was a coup, and the country would be in turmoil. I was very frightened. I was glad Sr. Maureen was with me but unfortunately, she soon traveled on to Tanzania after our landing at 2 AM in Entebbe, May 24th, 1966. I said in anguish, “God did you bring me all the way to Africa to have me killed”?

I got no reply but somehow the strength came to stay and to see what would happen next?