KIEV, Ukraine - They were an American family who came to Kiev to adopt four children, all Ukrainian. As fate would have it, they arrived on the doorstep of revolution.
After a period of stress and uncertainty, David Bundy is back in the U.S. with three newly adopted children — Karina, 14; Max, 11; Alla, 9. But his wife Lisa has remained behind to finish securing the fourth child they wish to bring home to Montgomery, Ala.
She is sheltering in a missionary home outside Kiev to ensure Nastia makes it out, too. At 16, she is the fourth and oldest of the children they came to adopt.
See also: 5 Big Questions About the Future of Ukraine
"We had our court date for Nastia the day the fighting broke out," said Lisa, speaking by phone from Ukraine, regarding the decree hearing for the adoption on Feb. 18. It was a day Kiev protests turned newly and acutely violent, leaving more than a dozen dead. Since then, armed protesters and government forces have clashed in battle, costing nearly 100 civilian lives in the process.
The scenario reaches back to November 2013, when protests erupted over President Viktor Yanukovych’s nixing of a trade deal with the EU.
On Feb. 18, the Bundys stayed at a rented apartment some four blocks from Independence Square, epicenter of the surging conflict. The apartment became a hideout for the new family. The children either slept together in a loft or downstairs with their parents, who ventured outside alone only to retrieve bread and other essentials.
The backdrop to their isolation: the sound of "bombs, gunfire and fireworks," blogged David on Feb. 19, describing events of the night before. "They are accompanied by the sirens of ambulances and car alarms responding to the thunderous explosions. Clergymen and politicians alternately beg the police for mercy and encourage protesters to fight for freedom over amplified speakers."
On Feb. 24, the U.S. State Department issued Lisa a notification, warning of a continued potential for violence and future clashes.

The Jenkins family at the courthouse in Olexandria, Feb. 6, 2014, immediately following the awarding of their children, (from left) Tatiana, Angela, Natalie and Roman Jenkins.
The Bundys are not alone. In the house where Lisa now stays with Nastia, two other families await word on when their sagas will end. Both families declined to comment.
But other American families are in Ukraine, too. Don and Lisa Jenkins, of Topeka, Kan., have found it impossible to bring their four newly adopted children home since the violence broke out.
The Jenkins have been holed up in their Kiev apartment since Feb. 18, when things worsened. Like the Bundys, they are only a half-mile or so from Independence Square. They watched the fires burn, the lingering smoke drift by each day.
Now the Jenkins simply wait, still in the same apartment with Tatiana, 17; Angela, 16; Natalie, 15; and Roman, 8, trying to make the best of the situation. They continue to seek word about completing the remaining paperwork and leaving for the U.S.
Information is scarce.
According to Don, much of what they learned during the violence came from an English-speaking cab driver, whom he befriended. Speaking by phone on Feb. 24, Don said the adoption delay could be the result of disruptions to the Kiev passport office.
"The government offices were working skeleton crews," he said. "They were sending what they called 'non-essential people' home. A lot of the government buildings … were under attack."
The Jenkins even reached out to U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R, Kansas). While a spokesperson for the senator declined to say what exactly the office has done in response to the family's request for help — citing constituent privacy concerns — she did confirm they'd worked with the Jenkins.
A breakthrough came Monday afternoon when the Jenkins' adoption facilitator told them that two of the four wanted passports were in hand. Best case scenario, Don said, the family might have the remaining two documents, plus all required medical paperwork — and visas from the U.S. embassy — by Wednesday.
He hopes to be on a plane with his family, heading back to Kansas as early as Feb. 27.

A protester throws a Molotov cocktail during clashes with police in central Kiev, Ukraine, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014.
Image: Efrem Lukatsky/Associated Press
As for Lisa Bundy and Nastia, the waiting period for the 16-year-old's adoption decree is predicted to end Feb. 28. Only then can the rest of the process begin.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to get her court decree either Friday or Monday," Lisa said. "Hopefully, after that a new Ukrainian passport. And then the embassy. The embassy part is relatively easy. They're very efficient … they get you in, they get you out."
News of what the Alabama couple have experienced in Kiev, according to Lisa, has made it to the office of U.S. Senator Jefferson Sessions (R, Alabama). The senator's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Bundys are waiting for good news. Lisa watches for signs that the Kiev peace will hold. And she hopes for a better future — not only for her family, but for Ukraine as a whole.
"The potential for violence again, well, there's rumblings in the south and the east," Lisa said. "We all just want to get our kids home safe. We pray for peace for this country."
Since initial violence has stopped, protests of a milder sort still continue. The Ukrainian Parliament has scheduled new elections in the wake of the ousting of Yanukovych, and it has issued a warrant for the impeached president’s arrest on murder charges connected to his forces' alleged actions during the clashes.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.