It was the end of the year – the New Year’s Eve – and we stood on the beach, watching the sunset, and praying for our family, as had become our custom these recent years along this stretch of sea. We prayed for each by name, our hearts pouring into every praise and every request. It was a stirring time, of course, reflecting upon the past year, its blessings and its trials – and looking with hopeful anticipation into the next. And as we prayed, the sun lowered along the horizon.