Elizabeth Izumi, on instruction from her mum who was a Soka Gakkai member in Japan, unrelentingly welcomed President Ikeda at the Canada Airport on October 11, 1960.

“I was very happy to hear President Ikeda say right off that he was certain my mother must be a very kind and admirable person to ask her daughter to greet a party of strangers at the airport, and he thanked her sincerely. We only spoke briefly, but I sensed his warmth and kindness, and I felt I understood why my mother was practising the Daishonin’s Buddhism with the Soka Gakkai… Later, I heard that he had expressed his deep gratitude to my mother at the Soka Gakkai Headquarters. I was touched by his sincerity… About 18 months after our meeting, I started practising…”

In November 1964, Elizabeth Izumi returned to Japan and attended a local discussion meeting. A Seikyo Shimbun’s reporter who was present at the meeting, knew of Elizabeth’s encounter with President Ikeda at Toronto’s airport, immediately approached to interview her. Several days later, a small article about Mrs Izumi appeared in the Seikyo Shimbun.

“To my surprise, President Ikeda, who had read the article, invited me and my mother to the Soka Gakkai Headquarters. As we were waiting in the lobby, he appeared. Just seeing him approaching, I was overwhelmed with emotion. He bowed deeply to us and thanked us sincerely. Addressing my daughter, whom I had brought with us, he said, “Your mother was pregnant with you when I met her, wasn’t she? You’re so big now! You’re very cute.” I felt gratitude rising up within my heart, and in the depths of my being I made a determination to work for kosen-rufu alongside President Ikeda for the rest of my life.”

“I will never forget them” — that in itself is a wonderful encouragement.