NINE MILE FALLS, WA – Though Karen Williams knew she was adopted, arriving in the United States with her new family when she was 13 months, she did not know that her biological family in Greece had been searching for her for years, KXLY.com reported.

The Nine Mile Falls resident told KXLY, “I was born in Katerini, Greece and then taken to Athens, and then to San Diego,” adding that she “had no idea,” her family was searching for her and “it’s thrilling to know that they have actually thought about me all these years, I had no idea.”

The family reconnected just two days before Christmas, KXLY reported, noting Williams’ response, “I ran out in the yard and screamed, I was so overcome with emotion really.”

Williams’ daughters were instrumental in the effort, using their knowledge of their mom’s background and then taking the documents and photos to their local Greek Orthodox Church to find someone to translate the Greek documents.

Searching on Facebook with Williams’ family name, they messaged people in the Greek hometown until someone finally recognized the name and was able to contact the relatives. “After a few weeks I got a message back that said ‘I found your family,’” said Rhiannon Williams, KXLY reported.

Soon messages, photos and family pictures were shared, confirming they were indeed part of the family. “I’ve got 27 new family members on my Facebook, they have been calling, texting, introducing themselves, I’ve had nephews, cousins, and they are embracing my whole family,” Karen Williams said, adding that “it just warms my heart more than you can imagine, I’ve had tears and laughter and just been overwhelmed,” KXLY reported.

Williams, who was baptized Myrsini, found out she has five living biological siblings and is now eager to learn about her heritage, history, and “more about the Greek language,” to help communicate with her Greek-speaking relatives, KXLY reported.