The missionary journey is wending its way southward. The first mission is to the Nephites, and then the mission shifts in focus and moves out of Nephite territory and into the lands of the Lamanites. However, the land of the Lamanites is now not so far away in either space or time, as Nephi goes to the land of Zarahemla. Once the capital of the Nephite lands, it is now Lamanite territory.