MSP430FR2355: Driver assignment not working?

Part Number: MSP430FR2355

Hello...

I have the following driver file.  I am passing in a pointer to the function....the function is called from main AND the pointer has no assignment....Once inside the function the pointer is getting an assignment....Part of the assignment comes from a type that is defined within main.  If I place a breakpoint after the assignments I can see that the pointer takes on the size value (which is calculated within the function) BUT the address assignment prior to this it does not take on yet I can see within the function that applicationI2C.pSysCommsB is pointing to the correct memory location 0x0540...Can someone tell me how to get this assignment.  I don't want to create a new instance within the function that points to the existing piece of data that has been created at the top level (main).

Thanks 

    pVal->pSysComms_Handle->pSysCommsB = applicationI2C.pSysCommsB;

uint8_t InitializeDisplay(I2C_txHandle_t *pVal)
{
    /*
     * turn on display, turn
     * on cursor, position
     * cursor line 1 , position 1
     */
    uint8_t InitializeLCD[] = {0x3C, 0x0E, 0x01};

    extern uint8_t *pI2CStream;
    extern SysComms_Handle_t applicationI2C;

    uint8_t err = 0;

    uint8_t k = sizeof(InitializeLCD);
    pI2CStream = malloc(k * 2);
    for (uint8_t t = 0; t < k; t++)
    {
        if (k - t > 1)
            *(pI2CStream + (2 * t)) = 0x80;
        else
            *(pI2CStream + (2 * t)) = 0x00;

        *(pI2CStream + (2 * t + 1)) = InitializeLCD[t];
    }

    pVal->pSysComms_Handle->pSysCommsB = applicationI2C.pSysCommsB;
    pVal->size = k*2;

    if (!(ERR_INIT_LCD == config_I2CSendData(pVal)))
        err = 0;
        //pInit.pSysCommsB->UCBxCTLW[0] |= UCTR | UCTXSTT;
    else
        err = 1;

    return err;
}