Helaman has had two purposes in his epistle. The first was a military report, including the miraculous faith of his untrained young men. The second purpose is not stated. Helaman needs reinforcements, and his appeals to Zarahemla for reinforcements and provisions have not yielded the help he needs, particularly now that he must distribute his army to protect the retaken cities. He brings this to Moroni’s attention, clearly hoping that Moroni may have some say in remedying the situation.