Q: I am about to get married. Should we spend our first year together in our home country or on the missions field?

Most agencies will require at least a year of marriage prior to deployment. Marriage itself is a cross-cultural experience! You don't want to complicate it by dealing with culture shock and language stress in the beginning. I expect there are exceptions to this, but unless you have a compelling reason that you would be better off moving right away, I recommend you spend at least a year in your home culture. Take the time to study your future culture together and perhaps engage in some cross-cultural ministry together locally.

Count the cost! You may have the strongest relationship and love for one another, but placed on the field of missions you will both be stretched to the absolute end of yourselves. Give your marriage time at home first, become mission oriented and active in your own local church body and community. The more involved you become at home and are still hungry as a "union" then the greater impact you will make on the field of world missions.

Disclaimer: The following answer has not been reviewed or edited.

Within a month of getting married my wife and I embarked on leading a cross-cultural team into Africa. Although it was in the same missions organisation it was in a branch of ministry that my wife had not been a part of before. We found it to be a very challenging experience, and one that we wish we had not had in the first year of our marriage.

After our own experience I have always recommended to couples to take that first year to get to know each other and focus on that. I don\’t think that there is a need for people to pull out of full-time ministry, as I have heard recommended by some, but I do believe that the first year of marriage should be spent in a place where you both feel safe and secure, with loving people and mentors around you whom you already have a relationship with.

Wait a year or two.

Deut 24:5
"When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war or be charged with any business; he shall be free at home one year, and bring happiness to his wife whom he has taken." NKJV

Many missions organizations and churches will require you to wait at least one year after your marriage before heading overseas. This allows you to adjust to being married without all of the distractions and frustrations of being in another culture. Getting used to married life is hard enough, but thinking about doing it in the context of everything unfamiliar is just too difficult. This is also biblically cultural because in the Old Testament times, a soldier was not allowed to go into war for one year after his marriage. People have recognized the need to have that year to adjust for literally centuries.

Spend your first year of marriage drawing closer to God and to each other. In doing so, you will build a solid foundation for your marriage, which is the second most important relationship in your life. (The first is your relationship with God.) You'll figure out how your communication works, what's your style of conflict resolution, and learn to serve the other. Have a good, strong marriage is a great witness for those you are serving.