Jose was born in 1946, grew up in Uruguay, and immigrated to America at 19. He served in the US Air Force, then lived as a part-time hippie, militant, and intellectual in England, France and Mexico. At 33, he and his wife Diana met Christ together, moved to Virginia, and added three more children. Jose founded a ministry called Semilla, which has trained a number of Latin American Christian leaders, and advises the pro-life movement in Latin America. Jose joined James River Community Church in 1994, and has been an elder since 2002.