Melvin and Sharon have four children: twins Abigail and Joshua (2009), Noah (2012) and Lydia (2013). The Kelly family are from Northern Ireland and served in Mozambique with One Mission Society (OMS) from 2010 until 2021. Before joining OMS, Melvin worked in construction and Sharon as a teacher. Melvin served with OMS in Mozambique helping coordinate various construction projects from 2004 until 2007 and Sharon gave up her teaching job to serve at the Washbasin, a Christian Community Centre in Ahoghill. The couple met through OMS and were married in 2007.

The couple set up Girassol Charity Shop in Antrim in 2009, before they went as a family to Mozambique in 2010. Until the shop’s closure in June 2023 the shop impacted many lives; both in Antrim as well as in Mozambique.

Melvin and Sharon served in various roles with OMS in Mozambique. In 2012, they co-founded a ministry among people living with disability called Helping Hands. People with disability are among the most marginalized in Mozambique. Helping Hands was recently renamed Somos Nós, which means ‘It’s Us’, emphasising their heart to stand in solidarity with people living with disability. The desire is to mobilise and equip the church to live out the love of Jesus through an undivided witness; building relationships, proclaiming the Gospel and engaging practically to encourage interdependence and community with people living with disability.

In January 2022, Joshua, then 12-years-old, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) after which he received intensive chemo treatment and a bone marrow transplant. While this was a very challenging time for Joshua and the whole family, they testify to many miraculous answers to prayer. They are grateful for all who have upheld them in prayer.

This journey led the family to set down roots in Northern Ireland once more. In August 2023, Melvin took up the role of Executive Director for OMS in the UK and Sharon started a new role serving as Pastoral Care Coordinator for Wellington Presbyterian Church, Ballymena.

They plan to continue to do what they can to support the Somos Nós ministry in Mozambique, from a distance, though regular contact and periodic trips.