I read the Book of Mormon almost every morning with my family growing up. But I didn’t read it on my own, cover to cover, until I served a mission in Seoul, South Korea. I finished it a couple weeks into my service and knelt in prayer to ask God if the things that I read were true, and I knew in an instant they were. I know God is in Heaven and that He sent his Son, Jesus Christ to come to Earth and pave the way for us to return and live with Him after this life. I am certain that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet of God and the prophet of the restoration. The Church he re-established is the same church and gospel that Jesus Christ established during His ministry on Earth.
The best part about all of this? YOU can come to know for yourself these things! No one needs to tell you what to believe, or the answers to questions you have. YOU carry the power to find them out for yourself with sincere study and prayer. You will come to know, just like I have, that God is there and He is waiting to answer the questions in your heart. It truly doesn’t matter where you’ve been or where you are. What matters is moving forward. Reach out to Him. God doesn’t expect immediate perfection, but He does expect immediate progression.