Whether you go on a mission or not is your choice. I'll leave that one up to you and the Lord. I hope that you'll at least pray and fast for guidance before making such an important choice. However, I'd like to comment on these two assertions right here:

either it's all true or it's not... when I myself don't believe it any less than 100%

I disagree. I don't think it does have to be "all" perfect, or that everything has to be 100%.

Allow me to direct your attention to the very first page of the Book of Mormon. Before Nephi, before Lehi, before the testimony of the witnesses. The first page; the Introduction. This part is written by Moroni himself. Right there on the first page, Moroni says:

• "And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men"

Right there, on page 1, Moroni admits that the book may be flawed. And it is. Lehi demonstrates bad parenting techniques (always openly comparing Laman and Lemuel to Nephi -- a strategy that they are certain to resent). Nephi makes racially insensitive statements that are a reflection of the middle eastern culture that he came from. Alma sometimes has a hard time getting to the point (during one long sermon, Mormon humorously abridges in a very rough cut, and says basically, "and Alma said many other things"). In 3rd Nephi, Jesus himself scolds Nephi for leaving out some important details. Joseph Smith sometimes gets confused on some of the grammar in his translation, and gets the proper usage of old-timey pronouns like thee / thou / ye / thine wrong. My point is that: of course we get some stuff wrong -- even our signature book of scripture is written by imperfect men who sometimes erred.

But, the Book of Mormon doesn't have to be perfect. It is not meant to be a guide on parenting, or interracial sensitivity training, or on keeping sermons concise. In that same paragraph, Moroni tells us it's main purpose:

• "the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations"

The purpose of the Book of Mormon -- and of the church -- is to bring people to Christ, and convince them that He is the eternal God. If there are mistakes -- and there are -- then as Moroni said, they are the mistakes of men. It doesn't mean that Jesus isn't the Christ, or that the Book of Mormon isn't a true testament of His divinity, or that the church isn't his restored kingdom on earth. It just means that He trusts His servants to do the work, and sometimes we goof on the details.

However, here's the good news. God has said that "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word he established." 2 Corinthians 13:1. And this is true in the scriptures. The really important stuff -- the stuff you should probably gain a testimony of if you are going to preach the gospel -- is repeated many times across the scriptures:

Key principles of the Plan of Salvation such as:

• The separation / fall from God's presence (Genesis, Moses, Abraham, etc)
• the narrative of Christ's atonement and resurrection, and testimonies of His special witnesses (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, 3rd Nephi, many sections of the Doctrine and Covenants) returning us to God's presence.

Also, critical instructions for discipleship such as:

• the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, 3rd Nephi)
• prophecies of Christ's mission (Isaiah, 2 Nephi, 3 Nephi)
• the establishment and restoration of the priesthood on earth, and authority to act in His name (basically all of the standard works)
• the format and importance of baptism and the sacrament as ordinances that allow us to take the name of Christ upon ourselves (3 Nephi, The Gospels, Moroni, D&C)
• etc.

These are the important things to believe and have a testimony of if you would preach His good word. The rest? Just details. As Moroni said,if there are faults, they are the mistakes of men. But the really important stuff, the stuff that you can build a testimony on, is repeated over and over throughout the scriptures, reinforcing those principles in the mouths of many witnesses.

While I don't know or understand everything, I can tell you that I know that these things are true. Jesus is the Christ, the eternal God. The Savior and Creator of this world. He did save us from the Fall thru his resurrection, and is willing to save us from our sins thru the power of the atonement. The priesthood -- the authority to act in His name and preform saving ordinances -- is restored.

Regardless of if you serve a mission (and I hope you do), I urge you to work to gain a testimony of these key principles. And I can promise that if you do decide to serve, or to study the scriptures and pray to have faith in Christ, God will bless you with answers to these key questions.

Good luck!