'Momma': Incredible moment special needs Chinese orphan, 6, arrives in Texas and meets her adoptive parents for the first time

  • Lucy, 6, who has down syndrome and has spent her life in a Chinese orphanage, was greeted by her new parents when she arrived in Houston
  • Brent and Audrey Shook, who have five biological children, had always intended to adopt from China
  • They fell in love with Lucy after seeing a video of her singing and playing that was filmed by the adoption agency
  • Audrey greeted Lucy by saying: 'Hi! Hi! I'm momma'
  • Repeating the word 'momma' back to her, Lucy formed an instant bond with her new parents
  • Lucy was brought to the US by Great Wall China Adoption which brings special needs children over as part of a program to find them homes

By Oliver O'connell For Mailonline

Published: 14:21 EST, 22 July 2015 | Updated: 20:27 EST, 22 July 2015

In a highly emotional moment on Monday night, a six-year-old girl with down syndrome, named Lucy, met her new parents, having spent almost her whole life in a Chinese orphanage.

Dozens of special needs children from China were met by their foster families at George H.W. Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, in the hope of finding permanent homes.

Brent and Audrey Shook had already made the decision to begin adoption proceedings as they greeted Lucy that night as her new parents.

'Hi! Hi! I'm momma,' said Audrey.

In a heart-warming moment Lucy repeated the word 'momma' back to Audrey, creating an instant bond between the two of them at the end of a long journey both for the Shooks and Lucy.

Scroll down for video 

Overcome with emotion, Audrey Shook sees Lucy for the first time as she arrives from China

Overcome with emotion, Audrey Shook sees Lucy for the first time as she arrives from China

'Hi! Hi! I'm momma,' said Audrey (right), and in a heart-warming moment Lucy (left) repeated the word 'momma' back to her

'Hi! Hi! I'm momma,' said Audrey (right), and in a heart-warming moment Lucy (left) repeated the word 'momma' back to her

The Shooks, who live in The Woodlands, a suburb of Houston, met in high school. They have always intended to adopt from China, despite having five biological children of their own.

The idea was put on hold for a number of years, until one day they saw a video of Lucy singing and playing and immediately fell in love with her.

'I've always loved kids with special needs, especially kids with down syndrome,' said Audrey.

The Shooks were connected with Lucy through Great Wall China Adoption, based in Austin, Texas, which usually asks families to host special needs orphans for four weeks in the hope of finding them a permanent home.

Tears and hugs for Lucy from Audrey and her husband Brent (right)

Tears and hugs for Lucy from Audrey and her husband Brent (right)

The Shooks were connected with Lucy through Great Wall China Adoption, based in Austin, Texas, which usually asks families to host special needs orphans for four weeks to help find them a permanent home

The Shooks were connected with Lucy through Great Wall China Adoption, based in Austin, Texas, which usually asks families to host special needs orphans for four weeks to help find them a permanent home

'These are the kids that are unwanted, they are the kids nobody else wants, they've been sitting on lists for their entire life or sitting in an orphanage,' said Shannon Phillips at the agency.

The Shooks saw the agency's video of Lucy and immediately fell in love with her

The Shooks saw the agency's video of Lucy and immediately fell in love with her

The Shooks were so moved when they saw Lucy's video that they began legal proceedings to adopt her.

'We felt called to embrace somebody that needed a family and be their forever family,' said Brent.

'We don't see it as we are going to help her, we see it as she's going to help us with our lives,' he told KHOU. 

All five of the Shook's biological children came to the airport to welcome their new sister. 

Some two dozen families are taking part in the adoption program, with sixteen of the children that arrived on Monday staying in the Houston area, and 14 headed to other parts of the US.

Joy Faske, who has polio and was adopted from China by Suzanne Faske several years ago, speaking from her own experience, told KPRC 2: 'I'm happy that the kids can have a family. They get to see what it's like to be a part of a family and somebody that loves for them and cares for them.'

It is hoped that the program leads all of the children to find 'forever homes'. 

Audrey's Facebook photo proudly shows off the whole family, now including Lucy. Audrey and Brent also have five biological children who all came to the airport to greet their new sister

Audrey's Facebook photo proudly shows off the whole family, now including Lucy. Audrey and Brent also have five biological children who all came to the airport to greet their new sister

Great Wall of China Adoption places special needs children with host families for four weeks as part of a program to help the children find permanent homes

Great Wall of China Adoption places special needs children with host families for four weeks as part of a program to help the children find permanent homes

Some two dozen families are taking part in the adoption program, with 16 of the children that arrived on Monday staying in the Houston area, and 14 headed to other parts of the US

Some two dozen families are taking part in the adoption program, with 16 of the children that arrived on Monday staying in the Houston area, and 14 headed to other parts of the US

The host families in Texas eagerly awaited the arrival of the children from China

The host families in Texas eagerly awaited the arrival of the children from China

Comments (160)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now