Christian Chin refugees who fled persecution in Myanmar gathered to celebrate Christmas at their tiny makeshift church in Jalan Pudu, Malaysia, – International Christian Concern reports.

Sharing how their lives in Malaysia are with local media Free Malaysia Today, they however were very careful not to say anything which could be construed as negative by the Myanmar authorities, for they do not want to jeopardize the safety of their relatives back home.

While they feel homesick, especially those who have left their hometown for more than decades, Christmas is a time when they can celebrate joyfully as a community.

According to one congregant, David Hmung, chairs had to be removed to allow the expected 400-plus carolers from various Protestant denominations to come in.

Pastor Jeremiah Sang Dun, who celebrated his first Christmas in Malaysia, said December 25 is “about getting together.” Though back home in Chin State celebrations would stretch from Christmas Eve till New Year, in Malaysia, as most of them are working, Christmas starts and ends on Dec 25.

A construction worker named Tluang Lian Cung, 27, who has been in Malaysia for a decade, does miss celebrating Christmas back home. After all, seven of his siblings are still there. “But it is not possible to go back,” he said.

Chin is an ethnic minority group in Myanmar that has 90% of Christian population in the Buddhist majority country. They are often caught between the ethnic militias fighting in the area against the Burmese Army, or face hostilities from local radical Buddhists.

According to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are around 20,000 Chin people in Malaysia. Other estimates put the number nearer 40,000.